Rogue Familiar
by Dreamingfox
Summary: Ramza seeks to seal away the Holy Stones but finds himself entrenched in yet another adventure.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes –

This is a work in progress.

* * *

Stale, humid air blanketed the dark cave, a clear sign that nothing alive had ventured into the remote grotto in a long time. Only the light violet glow of the holy stone illuminated the darkness, though the light grew weaker as he piled on more and more dirt.

'You seek to seal us.' The statement echoed off of the dark walls causing the entire cavern to tremble, loosening the accumulated dirt on the amethyst stone. 'You only delay our return for another generation.'

"Perhaps," the dirty squire replied as he knocked a rock over so that it landed on the stone. "But others will take up the fight, just as we did."

'NO!' the Aries stone proclaimed. 'You may have scattered us to the winds, but you will not seal us away!'

A violet flash filled the subterranean chamber, blinding the young warrior as a wave of magic passed through him. Instinctively he blinked as his eyes tried to recover from the momentary impairment.

Even before his vision returned he knew that he was no longer deep underground. Gone was the stagnant air replaced with a cool breeze and the gentle rustling of leaves. His eyes recovered, he gazed up at the evening sky through the lush, lively canopy above. Two moons looked down on him, a clear sign that he was no longer in Ivalice. "Is this the world the Lucavi hail from?"

It was a world far less sinister than he'd imagined, looking not too different from any other forest in Ivalice. Only the duel moons indicated that this was a different world than his. Then again, his world had a significant number of threats. Judging from the heavy footsteps and breaking branches it was clear that this world had its share of dangerous creatures as well.

Distant cries further reinforced that idea. Though the dialect was different, the tone definitely conveyed panic and distress.

As he ran he assessed his inventory and equipment. Having traveled far to seal away the auracite Ramza had packed light. Pulling out Gungnir, he rushed into the clearing.

Strange beasts with elongated heads and lean, powerful bodies ran amok as their owners and caretakers dealt with the consequences of the attack. Equally mysterious creatures with the head of an eagle and the body of a behemoth the powerful creatures baring mounted magi reigned down destruction and death.

A blue dragon and several underequipped magi fought back as best as they could despite being outnumbered.

'_I should have brought out the blast gun,'_ Ramza lamented as he took in the battlefield. A mighty leap propelled him into the air and onto one of the raiders. Batting the mage's staff out of his hand, the squire also rammed his knee into the spell caster's mouth, eliminating him of his two primary focuses. Using the mage to step off of, Ramza launched himself into a tree.

Reaching into his pouch as he landed on the springy branch, he deftly hurled a mythril knife at another airborne mage. His aim wasn't true, but it was close as it imbedded itself in the side of one of the odd beasts. Fortunately luck was with him as the blade cut into the harness, causing the mounted mage to fall as the beast flinched at the pain of the injury.

Using the recoil of the branch to propel him into the air once again he found his flight interrupted as the thunderous roar of several firearms filled the clearing. One of the bullets hit him in the leg, proving that his luck had turned though it hadn't run out. Fighting through the pain he drove Gungnir through the wing of one of the beasts. A painful cry drowned out all other sounds as gravity pulled the spear through the creature's wing.

Ramza managed to land on his feet, avoiding the crashing plight of the wounded beast and its rider. With their attention now drawn to him, Ramza was forced on the defensive as a winged behemoth and its rider swooped down upon him. Powerful claws gripped his shoulder, digging into his blue Brave Suit. A swift counter brought the butt of the spear against the offending leg, forcing the creature to release the squire.

'_Romandian?'_ he thought as he heard the mage chanting. Reaching into his pack he pulled out a ball. Not sure what color it was he jammed it into the creature's beaked mouth before slamming it closed with an uppercut. The flash of lightning suggested a yellow ball as the creature convulsed uncontrollably before flipping onto its back and crushing the hapless rider.

The cooling touch of healing magic rushed through his body, closing the flesh wounds he's recently suffered. But his Brave Suit was not the only magic unleashed as a powerful wind buffeted the volley of arrows that the defenders launched at their attackers. _'Even a powerful shield spell would not be able to do that,'_ Ramza surmised as he witnessed the foreign magic. Out of the corner of his eye he saw another mage conjure several golems.

Letting out another battle cry, Ramza launched himself at another raider. Crashing down on the mage he cut the man's wand hand off before kicking him squarely in the mouth. Though injured, he was largely out of the fight. Leaping off of the beast he tackled another in mid-air, startling the mount and dislodging the rider. Powerful and deadly clawed feet lashed out at him as the beast reacted instinctively even in its death throes.

Again he crashed into the ground, much less elegant than before. Pulling his spear out of the dying creature he let out another battle cry. He could feel his heart pounding as it spread the increased adrenaline throughout his body. Moving with seemingly unnatural speed he headed for the next closest enemy.

Icicles rained down on him, several stabbing him through his armor though most missing their mark. He responded with a quick jab, sending his spear through the mage's shoulder and knocking him off of his mount. The bone jarring landing did little to improve the mage's condition. Planting his foot on the man's chest Ramza forcefully extracted his weapon and looked for the next target.

It was clear that the tide of the battle had changed. No longer were the raiders simply picking off the merchants. Though they had been caught off guard, the caravan's guards had quickly recovered and put up far stiffer a defense then their attackers had anticipated. Only a handful of the other strange beasts remained, unfortunately those were mostly carcasses now. Dozens of bodies littered the clearing, a good majority of those belonging to the merchants and their crew.

"You fight like a demon," a woman with a gun trained on him stated.

Ramza shrugged, "So I've been told."

"Lower your gun Amelia," another guardsman ordered as he approached the pair.

"I'm not aiming it at him," the woman known as Amelia replied as she lowered the muzzle. "The noble's still alive."

Immediately Ramza moved to intervene. "I'll not tolerate murder," he stated as he stood between the woman and the mage. "The fighting's over and he's defeated."

"He's about to die and we don't have any healers," the guardsman stated.

"A caravan without chemists or healers?" Ramza scoffed. While it was unusual for a caravan to travel without any wizards, it was doubly true for one to not have any one trained in chemistry or healing.

"Chemist?" Amelia replied. "What's a chemist?"

"Any healing items?" he asked quickly.

"We don't have any potion makers and the few healing items we do have are going to be used on our men not them," the guardsman answered. "And we're not going to give anyone of them their wands back."

With the battle over, Ramza considered his options. Though he had yet to master the higher level healing spells he had managed to learn Cure and Regen. Then again, Chakra was easier to perform, and it would heal him of his own injuries. Ripping the wizard's robe, he bound the man's wrists. With the man properly secured, he built up his spiritual energy, converting it into Chakra. Immediately he felt his own wounds heal. Beneath him the captured mage gasped as his own pain was eased and his wounds began to close.

"What did you do?" Amelia exclaimed as she now pointed her gun at him. "You're a noble… You're one of them."

"It's a skill I learned," Ramza explained. "Bring all of the wounded over here, I should be able to heal everyone sufficiently with this skill."

"Do it," the guardsman stated.

"Orson?" Amelia exclaimed.

"You can heal them, right?" the man named Orson asked.

"Get them as close to me as you can," Ramza stated as he wiped away the blood from his now healed injuries. "The most seriously injured first."

* * *

In the time that it took to heal everyone sufficiently to the point where no one was in imminent danger of passing, Ramza had gathered much about this world that he now resided in. He'd imagined that the world worked much like his own, yet nothing could be further from the truth. Magic existed in this world, but the principles behind it were very different. In Ivalice everyone could use it, though it took proper training. Here, in Tristan (and all the surrounding lands) only a select few were born with the ability, though most of those belonged to families with a long history of wizards. A handful of others developed the ability but without the financial backing of a noble or merchant family it was hard for them to receive proper training.

Even with his own training in black, white and time magic Ramza found himself unable to cast any spells. Though he knew the various incantations for a multitude of spells he could not grasp his mana reserves. As unsettling as that was, Ramza knew that he was far from helpless. As the head of his little troupe he'd always felt responsible for the wellbeing of the others. That combined with the fact that most of their enemies focused on him meant that he was needed on the frontlines, as such he rarely ever played a support role in their battles. The only real problem was that his skills as a dark knight did rely on his ability to use magic. Still, he had plenty of other skill sets that he could use.

What did concern him though was how the wizards fought in this world. Though they were apparently limited by their elemental affinity (water, fire, wind, earth, and void) they were relatively quick with their spells. His second concern was that they could do much more with their magic. In the brief fight he'd witnessed one of the wizards had managed to rebuff a hail of arrows and another had conjured invisible blades that had cut through steel armor.

The magi they'd fought were all wind magi and all educated. The half-hawk, half-behemoth creatures known as griffins were native creatures to this realm, but the ones that the magi rode were familiars and not just domesticated or befriended monsters. The familiar was a reflection of the magi's affinity, though usually only those who attended a school of magic acquired a familiar.

Yes, when fighting a wizard in this world there was much that had to be taken into account.

"We should kill them," Orson stated as he eyed the handful of captives and their familiars. The other guardsmen nodded in agreement behind the captain of the guard.

"It's not necessary," Ramza stated. This world might not be the same as his, but he refused to let his morals be compromised.

Amelia eyed the bound wizards, her eyes hard and unforgiving. "They'll remain a threat unless we eliminate them."

"They're bound and weaponless," the squire countered.

"We've lost nearly half our men, we can't spare any more to watch them while we push on," the captain replied.

"I'll stay with them," Ramza stated firmly. "I'm not one of your men."

The tense standoff lasted only seconds yet seemed to last minutes as blue eyes locked with brown ones.

"Fine," Orson finally relented. "Our debt to you is paid with their lives."

Ramza nodded.

"That's not fair!" Amelia shouted. "We lost nearly half our men because of them! Are their lives worth two dozen of ours?!"

"Amelia," Orson hissed as he turned to face his second in command. "The best way to honor those who have passed is to ensure that they did not die in vain."

The captain's soothing words lessened the vitriol in his passionate second, but it was clear that Amelia was still seething as Orson led her away.

Ramza watched as the mercenaries and the merchants left. With the wizards and their familiars carefully bound he waited for the caravan to put some distance between them before he turned his attention back to the men before him. He waited until nearly dawn before undoing the blinds and standing before them. "I will lead you out of here, but I expect you to cooperate. I'm pretty sure I'll know when you begin casting a spell, and while I may not know what you're casting, I do know how to stop you from completing your spell."

The wizards reluctantly nodded. They already understood that they owed their lives their lives to him, though their eyes still burned with resentment. The class/caste issues involved clearly stung their pride. But the worth of a life, or at least a noble life, was supposed to be worth a lot more than the life of a commoner.

Unfortunately Ramza did not subscribe to that philosophy. He'd seen too much death in his time and every life had been valuable, even that of the monsters that his troupe had slain.

"You won't get away with this," one of the wizards said, disrupting his thoughts. "Don't you know who we are?"

Ramza glanced over the men once again.

Now under the light of the dawning sun Ramza caught a better look at the uniformed men.

Uniforms? They each wore the same outfit, though some had distinct markings that separated them from the others. "You're soldiers."

"Not just soldiers," the ranking soldier replied. "We're the Griffin Knights."

The name held no meaning for Ramza.

"The stupid commoner doesn't even know about us," another knight scoffed.

"Idiot," the ranking knight snapped, "he's not from around here. Look at his clothes - no one wears that in Tristain.

"Because all of you ride griffins," the squire surmised. "Why were you attacking the merchants?"

"Merchants?" the knight scoffed. "They're no merchants! They're arms dealers! They're arming the Albion rebels!"

"But you're part of the Tristain army," Ramza pointed out.

"He's got you there commander," the second knight snickered. "Guess he's not the typical stupid commoner."

"Of course he's not," the commander shot back. "He… what was your name?"

"Ramza."

"Ramza defeated six of us and our mounts," the commander finished. "He's obviously received training somewhere."

Ramza shrugged. "We'll head this way," he directed them away from where the merchants/arms dealers.

They walked a good distance before the commander once again spoke, "Where were you trained?"

"An academy," the squire shrugged.

"Where?"

Again he shrugged, "Not here."

"That much is obvious."

"I gave you my name, what of yours?" Ramza countered.

"I apologize," the knight averted his eyes, "where are my manners. I am Marquess Kurt Vonnegut."

"Ramza Beoulve."

"Beoulve," the knight repeated. "I've never heard of your family name, and your accent…"

"Romandian isn't my primary language."

"Romandian? We're speaking common Romalian," the second knight grumbled.

"You're from the far south," the commander added. "From beyond the sea?"

Ramza left the question unanswered as he continued to lead the men down the road. In short order they reached the edge of the forest. "This is far enough," he stated as turned to face the wizards. Pulling out the Mage Masher he took a step towards the ranking knight. "Hold up your hands."

Cautiously the Marquess did so.

With expert skill Ramza deftly cut the bonds that held him. "Take your men and go."

"You're just going to let us go?" Kurt asked.

"I've done all I will do to help them or hinder you," the blond stated. "I have no idea how far you can travel on your griffins or how far they can go with their horses, and if you're really going after them then I doubt you will have the time or resources to go after me."

"Thank you."

* * *

The long road proved to be filled with as many dangers as any road in Ivalice. Morbols, panthers, and woodsmen gave way to bulls, birds, and other creatures that he'd never seen before. Fortunately for the young squire most of the creatures had given up after he'd sniped a few of them with the Blast Gun. Though he was far from being the sniper that Mustado was, Ramza was quick to pick up almost any weapon that he took up.

Unsure how far he'd traveled; Ramza finally gave in after finding what he believed was a secure spot. Though unfamiliar with most of what he'd killed, he hoped that the birds he'd kept would at least make a passable meal.

Exhaustion seemed to catch up with him as he gathered wood for a fire. Once again he attempted to cast a spell, this time a weak fire spell to ignite the wood. And yet again he failed to grasp his mana reserves.

Wiry, he threw the fowl onto the wood before pulling out the Glacier Gun. The powerful weapon served to remind him all the more of his companions and his home. The long hours arguing with the engineer about what to call the weapon that spouted fire until finally the ponytailed youth had somehow convinced the rest of their troupe that Glacier Gun was appropriate for the fire oriented weapon and that its counterpart should be named the Blaze Gun.

"I will return," he vowed as he pulled back the hammer of the firearm. Discharging it into the pile of wood topped with the fowl, he felt the corner of his mouth curl with the beginnings of a smile.

Suddenly he felt a prickling sensation running up his spine – the telltale sign that magic was being worked about him. Unsure of what was going on, Ramza quickly reloaded the gun as he surveyed the area. He could see no one that might be casting a spell upon him.

Focusing on the feeling, he tried to categorize it. Having been the target of virtually all types of magic, he felt that he knew more than a fair bit about being targeted by magic. What he felt wasn't curing magic, or attack magic… no, it almost felt like summoning magic, though it wasn't…

Magical energy crackled to life before him. First a bright, tiny sphere, but it quickly grew. Illegible runes appeared around the orb as it grew.

"A portal," he exclaimed. He'd see it once before, though that instance was very different than this one. It had been when they'd finally discovered how to send Cloud home. "Is this my way home?"

* * *

"I wonder if she'll manage."

"I curious to see what she'll summon.

"She'll probably just screw up again."

"Pentagon of the five Elements," she recited as calmly as her pounding heart would allow her. "Heed my call and bring forth my familiar!"

All eyes turned watched expectantly, waiting for something, anything, to happen.

"Ha! Louise the Zero summoned nothing!"

"Her success rate is still zero!"

* * *

The glowing portal flickered for a moment before it began to lose its luster. Without further hesitation Ramza leapt into the illuminated gateway.

* * *

The sudden explosion caught everyone by surprise, though it really shouldn't have considering the girl's penchant for blowing things up. Reflexively everyone covered their eyes to shield themselves from the flying debris.

"Success rate still zero!"

* * *

Scorched dirt and grass flew about him, clouding his vision. Pristine white stone walls to his left and before him suggested that he was within a castle's yard.

"Success rate still zero!"

'_Romandian?!'_ the blond boy looked about, making out several forms through the haze. All appeared to be fairly young, perhaps only as old as Alma, each wearing a dark cloak bound by a pentagram, over clean white shirts and dark pants or skirts depending on the wearer's gender. _'Wizards.' _"Where am I?"

"Who are you?" a familiar voice asked.

'_Alma?!'_ Spinning around, Ramza was able to make out a familiar face. But it was not his sister that greeted him. True, she was a spitting image of his younger sibling, minus the pink hair that replaced his sister's dirty blond. Though the youngest Beoulve had spent much of her years at the convent, Ramza was sure that she'd never learned Romandian.

"I ask you who you were," the girl demanded.

'_She may look like Alma but she lacks her temperament,'_ Ramza surmised. Standing tall he looked down at the young girl. "I am Ramza Beoulve."

"I'm not asking your name," the girl huffed. "Why did a commoner… No… don't tell me… this can't be right!"

"What's this? You summoned a common human?"

"Hah! As expected of 'Louise the Zero!'"

Her face turned an unpleasant shade of red marking her clear displeasure.

"You summoned me," Ramza stated aloud. That tingling in his spine remained despite jumping through the portal.

"No!" She turned away. "This thing can't possibly be my familiar! This is a mistake! I just messed up a little! I'll just redo the summoning!"

"Everyone, please be quiet!" a commanding voice boomed, silencing the laughter of the other wizards and the indignant outcries of the girl before him. "Miss Villiere! This is a holy ritual of summoning! And there will be no such thing as 'Fixing it' allowed."

The girl bowed her head reluctantly.

The man, a balding wizard in a dark blue robe looked nothing like any mage that the squire had ever seen. Then again, if he were still in the other world then it explained everything. Their magic was nothing like the magic of his world.

"You have called him to service therefore he shall be your familiar."

Taking a second to piece together the Romandian, Ramza understood the words, but he didn't comprehend the significance of what was said.

"Please," the man said as he sternly eyed the girl, "just continue with the ritual."

"Yes, sir," she replied.

'Summoning… familiar…' the words stuck in his mind. He'd heard of some accomplished magi who were able to bind magical creatures to them, creating a bond said creature that was akin to telepathy… Wait… was he to be her familiar?

Turning to face him, the girl held up her wand, "Pentagon of the five elemental powers"

Instinctively he batted her wand way.

"He's got a gun!" someone shouted.

"Someone, immobilize him!"

"He's going to shoot her!"

"Louise is about to be killed by the familiar she summoned!"

The tingling spread up his neck, to his shoulders and arms, compelling him to not resist as she again raised her wand, "Grand your blessings upon this creature"

Warmth passed through his head as she tapped her wand on his head. His body seemed to lock up as she grasped his face with her free hand.

"and bind it as my familiar."

At the last second his free hand broke free, inserting it between his lips and hers, though her lips felt relatively soft in his palm. A burning sensation ran through his hand then arm, "What the hell did you do to me?"

The compulsion gone, he pushed her away, knocking her off her feet. Bringing his other arm about, he raised the gun.

"He broke the compulsion?"

"He's really going to kill her!"

"Shouldn't someone stop him?"

"I apologize," Ramza said as he holstered the gun with one hand and offered the girl his other.

Knocking his hand away the fiery tempered girl that looked like Alma stood up. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Do you know what the punishment is for a commoner who dares raise his hand against a noble?!"

'_Alma's face but Argath's tongue,'_ the squire thought bitterly as he looked down at the girl. "I thought nobles were taught manners."

The girl flinched as though struck at his words.

"I gave you mine name, should you not give me yours?"

Silence filled the courtyard as the young magi in training eyed the mysterious warrior.

"I, I am Louise Francoise de Blanc de la Valliere," the pinkette replied as she took his hand.

The strange burning sensation vanished in an instant as the girl accepted his hand.

"Interesting," the bald wizard exclaimed as he stepped between the two. Reaching out he took Ramza's left hand from Louise.

The burning sensation had started in his hand, the very hand that the girl had kissed, and the very hand the bald wizard was now holding was glowing in an unnatural red light. The man turned his hand over, revealing the palm and the source of the mystical light. "I've never seen such runes before."

'_Runes?'_ Ramza thought as he looked down at the mysterious magical energy that branded him.

"Well, I guess the ritual is now complete," the bald man stated as he released Ramza's hand. "You may have the rest of the day to get to know your familiars."

"Yes Master Colbert," the gathered wizards chorused.

Many of the students turned their attention to their own familiars now as their teacher departed.

"Congratulations Louise." Both master and familiar turned to the speaker. A dark skinned girl with dark red hair smiled at the pair. Behind her a giant red lizard with a flame on the end of its tail followed closely. "You've summoned a marvelous familiar."

In his short life Ramza had been given many looks. Though she appeared to be appraising him her eyes did much more than that. As a warrior he'd often mentally stripped his opponents of their armor so as to get a better estimate of his enemy's actual abilities and not those granted by his or her armor, but the look she gave him was slightly different. Yes, she was mentally stripping him of his armor and clothes, but she seemed to be doing more than that.

Standing firmly between him and the new girl, Louise shielded her familiar. "Kirche… don't you"

"Ara – I don't intend to do anything," the taller girl interjected as she turned away. "Yet."

Flashing a devilish grin, she turned around, lifting the hem of her short skirt scandalously high.

Like a true gentleman, Ramza quickly averted his eyes, focusing them on his "master" as she fumed.

Many of the other students departed as well, slowly following the elder mage. Those that could and dared to mounted their familiars, though most of the summoned creatures were significantly smaller than their masters. Several others took to the air, literally flying up to the upper battlements or windows of the nearby buildings.

No stranger to magic, he did find it unusual that they would use their magic so superficially. True, some of his troupe had taken to teleporting and levitating over obstacles in their path, especially after one of them had mastered said abilities. Like kids with new toys, the young wizards were probably just enjoying their ability to fly.

Of all the students only Louise remained grounded. "We should go," she urged him as she turned to follow the others.

Resigned to his current fate, Ramza followed.

The pair walked in relative silence, losing sight of the other students as they moved at a significantly slower pace. The squire couldn't help but steal glances at the younger girl.

"I didn't give you permission to look at me!" Louise finally shouted as she came to a stop.

"My apologies," the blond boy said with a polite bow.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she demanded.

Standing straight he looked down at her. "You resemble my younger sister."

The pinkette blinked. "Oh." After a few seconds she resumed walking. "I had no idea. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to take you from your family."

Ramza shrugged. "You're not the one who banished me here."

"Banished?" again Louise stopped in her tracks.

"This is not my world," he explained. "My world has but one moon. We do not have griffins or some of the other beasts that your classmates summoned. Though my world is filled with other creatures I have not seen here."

"Banished, from another world?" the pinkette replied skeptically.

"Yes, banished," he reiterated. He desperately wanted to tell her his story. In the past it had felt good to be able to confide in someone. Each time his troupe had expanded by adding more fighters he'd felt relieved. Though he hated to burden them with their impossible task, the fact that each addition believed him and stayed by his side through all of the fighting meant a great deal to him.

But could he tell Louise about his journeys? The fact that he wasn't from this world was fantastic enough, but the tale behind his banishment to this world was beyond even that. _'At least Cloud was a simple accident.'_

"What happened? Did you anger some great magical being?"

Ramza smirked. "Of course I did."

* * *

A/N

I hope you like this. As is typical with my fics I'm not going to stick to the plot of Familiar of Zero, though I will have elements of it in this fic.

Dreamingfox


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes – I do not own the rights to Final Fantasy Tactics or Familiar of Zero. This is a work of fan-fiction meant to simply entertain, though not all may find it entertaining.

Read if you must, hopefully some shall find this work enjoyable, though perhaps a few will find it insightful.

* * *

First impressions are hard to overcome. Arguth Thadalfus was a prime example of that. At first glance the young squire had proven to be a survivor, but he was the type of person willing to sacrifice others just so that he could survive. Lives were cheap to Arguth, and commoners proved to be even cheaper to him.

Louise Francoise de Blanc de la Valliere had not made the best of impressions on Ramza Beoulve, but she was slowly proving to be better than what he'd initially thought of her. She was far from being Alma, though uncomfortably close to being a female Arguth. Her prejudices were obvious, but her temperament did much to mar her outlook on essentially everything. The fact that her peers teased her relentlessly did little to help her disposition. Like Arguth, Louise did all she could to hold onto her station in life, constantly reminding the commoners working at the Tristan Magic Academy that she was a noble and that they were supposed to make way for her.

"Enough," he said firmly, interrupting another one of her rants as she lashed out at a maid who happened to serve the girl soup that was too hot. "My apologies," he turned to the buxom young maid.

"Siesta," the embarrassed girl replied quietly.

"My apologies Siesta," he repeated as he glared at Louise.

"Why should I apologize?!" Louise demanded. "The soup was too hot!"

"You demanded that she bring it to you immediately," the squire stated. "Which she did – exactly as you demanded. It is not her fault that you find it too hot to handle."

He was aware of the fact that the disruption had caught the attention of many of the students in the hall. Though reluctant to draw attention to himself, he knew that what he was doing was right. He had to admit that his initial impression of the girl had not been the best one. Their short walk together though had shed some light on her disposition though, but the way she acted in front of others was intolerable. He'd tried to stay his hand and tongue, but found it impossible to do so after she'd snapped at the maid. "Is this how you were taught to treat others?"

"She's only a commoner!" Louise snapped back. "And why should I or you have to apologize to her?"

"Would you wish for anyone to treat you like you treat her?" he asked.

"No, but I'm not a commoner!"

"And what makes you better than her?"

More and more students began to watch the scene before them.

"Zero can't even control her familiar," someone snickered.

"Can you believe that commoner is talking to her that way?"

"She is the Zero. If she doesn't use her magic to shut him up she'll never have his respect."

"If she doesn't shut him up I will."

"Someone has to teach him a lesson."

"If she knew proper wind magic she'd have been able to cool the soup herself."

He heard their barbed words, but never let his gaze waver as he locked eyes with Louise.

"You there," someone finally shouted, hushing the other students. "Are you having troubles with this servant?"

Ramza and Louise both turned to glance at the newcomer. The tall, raven haired boy was perhaps as old as Ramza. Unlike the second years who wore blue cloaks, this one wore a dark brown cloak, signifying that he was in his final year at the Magic Academy.

"He's not a servant," Louise replied. "He's my familiar."

The boy looked at Ramza again, giving the squire an appraising look. "Your familiar? Really?

"I guess that you seconds are still learning to control your familiars, but obviously some are harder to reign in then others. If you need some help, I would be willing to assist. My own familiar" he nodded towards the green dragon behind him "took a while to break in but it wasn't difficult once I showed him who was boss."

"Is that a challenge?" Ramza replied as he pushed Louise aside.

"I wasn't speaking to you knave," the taller boy said as he looked at Louise.

Taking off his glove, Ramza slapped the wizard with it. "Where I come from this is a formal challenge."

Gasps filled the hall was the gathered students witnessed the brazen display of disrespect.

"A commoner challenging a noble?"

"Is he serious?"

"I guess Louise is going to need a new familiar."

"Isn't that Kirk Vonnegut?"

"Yes, his brother is supposed to be a Griffin Knight."

"I see," Kirk rubbed his cheek. "A duel it is. Meet me in front of the pavilion in ten minutes."

The raven haired boy marched off, followed by his entourage of older students and their familiars.

"You should apologize."

Ramza had expected the words, though they came from a different source. Turning to Siesta he looked at the maid.

"She's right," Louise stated. "I'll go apologize to him."

"There's no need," Ramza said as he walked after Kirk.

"No need?! No need! The Vonnegut family has a long history of producing great military leaders," a blond boy in Louise's year stated. "They're not as famous as my family of course, but for the last ten generations they have sent someone to both the Griffin and Dragon Knights. Kirk may not make either, but he'll turn heads once he enlists.

"But where are my manners? I am Guiche de Grammont."

"Ramza Beoulve."

"Stop this at once!" Louise shouted as she grabbed hold of Ramza's branded hand. "Guiche, go tell Kirk that Ramza is going to apologize!"

"I'll do no such thing," the squire stated firmly. Pulling his hand free of Louise's he turned to Siesta then to Guiche, "Please ensure that she does not involve herself in this matter."

"I shall," Guiche stated as he took Louise's hand. "Montmorency, I beg your forgiveness but it seems I must aid Ramza in keeping Louise occupied. I dare say that her hands are not as soft or fine as yours."

Ramza followed Guiche's gaze for an instant, spotting the blond girl that his companion fancied.

"I know it must be a burden," the girl sighed. "But make sure that you do not comfort her too much when she loses her familiar."

All of the second years and most of the other students followed the trio as they exited the hall. It was clear that no one expected him to win. Removing his holster he considered his options. He still possessed his bag of holding, and he still donned the Brave Suit. He'd fought Luvcai, hydras, dragon, and other powerful creatures with this equipment, besting all of them. Against an untested wizard it would be simply unfair. No, that wouldn't do. He'd simply have to fight down to his opponent's level.

As they walked he carefully unbuttoned his shirt and released the clasps of his grieves and gauntlet.

"What are you doing?" Guiche asked.

"It wouldn't be fair," Ramza stated.

"You'd forsake what little armor you have?"

Ramza shrugged. "I guess I'll need you to look after these."

"Montmorency."

"Yes dear?"

"Would you and Kirche take Louise?"

Handing the girl off to the other girls, Guiche accepted Ramza's armor. _'Mythril? Why would a commoner possess Mythril?'_

Rolling up his sleeves Ramza boldly marched into the clearing provided to them by the other students and their familiars.

"This is foolishness," Montmorency pouted.

"We should stop this," the buxom Kirche agreed.

A girl with light blue hair nodded.

"The fool is going to get himself killed," Louise muttered, though she did little to resist the hold the other girls had on her.

The blunette shook her head in disagreement.

"This is your last chance," Kirk proclaimed as he stood magnanimously before Ramza.

"Your brother, Kurt, made the same mistake," Ramza said as he picked up a nice smooth stone from the ground.

"What was that?" the raven haired boy asked. "You know my brother Kurt?"

"Indeed," Ramza replied. "He, like you, made the mistake of underestimating me."

"Hah!" the other boy exclaimed. "Why would he know a commoner like you?"

"Commoner Ramza Beoulve challenges Kirk Vonnegut, The Marsh," a wizard wearing a dark brown cloak stated. "Fight until one yields or is unable to fight." Turning to both contestants he waited for them each to nod in agreement. "So it begins!"

Instantly the boy levitated himself out of the way, leaving nothing between Kirk and Ramza.

Letting out a shout Ramza charged ahead. Seeing Kirk raise his wand, Ramza countered, letting his stone fly and catching the young wizard off guard. Stone met flesh with a sickening sound as the projectile connected with Kirk's jaw.

Stunned by the sudden blow, Kirk fell down, gripping his mouth with his free hand.

Instinct told him to rush in and finish the boy, but Ramza knew that his display would be pointless if he did not allow Kirk to display his some of his abilities. Pausing, the squire purposefully picked up another stone as he waited for his opponent to stand up.

"Zat was 'eap," Kirk managed to say as he spit out blood.

"Ready?"

He sensed rather than saw his opponent's attack as several small disturbances in the air came flying at him. Instinct screamed for him to dodge, but Ramza opted to take the blow instead. Bracing himself, he felt the sting of the first blow on his bare forearms. Minute cuts resulted from the second and third hits suggesting that he was just at the edge of Kirk's range. Rushing in, Ramza tossed the stone in his hand, forcing his opponent to swat it away with a wave of his wand.

With unexpected speed Ramza closed the gap between them. Tackling the taller boy Ramza managed to connect with an uppercut that sent blood spraying as air was forced out of the Kirk's lungs. A forearm to the temple dazed the boy, allowing the squire the time to spot and then rip the wand out of his opponent's hand. Grabbing hold of Kirk's wand hand, Ramza twisted, forcing the arm behind the taller boy's back as he turned and buried the Kirk's bloody face in the grass and dirt.

Pinned down, his mouth bloodied, and disarmed, Kirk had no option but yield. Ramza had to admire the boy's spirit, as Kirk continued to struggle.

"If you want to yield, tap the ground with your other hand," Ramza instructed as he pulled back and put more pressure on Kirk's arm and shoulder.

The sound of a soft hand patting the ground rewarded his patience. Cautiously Ramza released his hold and picked up the discarded wand. Standing up he waited for Kirk to get to his feet and acknowledge him.

Reluctantly Kirk stood up, though he refused to look Ramza in the eye.

"Do you yield?" he asked the taller boy.

Kirk nodded reluctantly.

Never letting his eyes leave Kirk, Ramza tossed the wand to the wizard's companions.

Defeated, Kirk walked off, clutching his ribs with one hand and holding his bloody mouth with the other.

Victorious, Ramza left without any fanfare. It was not until he'd reached the corridor that anyone had approached him.

"Ramza," Siesta called out as she rushed to him. "You're injured!"

He'd barely noticed the bloody scratches that crisscrossed his forearms. "They look far worse than they actually are."

"You should still get them tended to," the maid suggested as she took his hand.

"She's right," Guiche seconded. "There's no telling what Kirk hit you with. I have learned from experience that he likes to add poison to his wind attacks."

"You've duel Kirk before?" the squire inquired.

The young wizard shook his head.

"The Vonnegut's are an aspiring military family," Louise stated. "They've set their sights on knocking the Grammont's off of their pedestal as the most renowned military family in Tristan. So Kirk's taken to attacking Guiche every chance he gets."

Ramza understood. As a Beoulve he and his brothers had many rivals and enemies, though most attended the other academies.

"It doesn't help that Guiche is an earth mage and Kirk is a wind mage," Kirche added.

"Wind beats earth," Ramza surmised.

The buxom girl nodded. "Add the fact that Kirk is a triangle mage and Guiche is still a dot mage and you get a recipe for regular bullying."

"Triangle? Dot?"

"A mage with only one affinity is called a 'dot wizard'," Montmorency explained as she appeared beside Guiche. "We're still early in our second year so most of us are only dots. By the end of this year we should at least have a second affinity and become 'line wizards'. Having three affinities means you are a 'triangle wizard' and four is 'square'.

"By adding affinities one increases the amount of mana they can handle as well, making spells more powerful by either adding another elemental type or by adding more mana to the spell."

"There," Siesta proclaimed as she finally raised Ramza's hands. "You were right Master Grammont; there was a hint of poison in the wound."

"Montmorency, do you still have the salve you use on me last time?" the young noble asked.

"I do my dear," the blond girl replied with a sweet smile. "I keep it with me just in case The Stench was to ever ambush you again."

"'The Stench'?" Ramza repeated.

"It's our nickname for him," Montmorency replied.

Guiche nodded. "Kirk's dragon is a swamp dragon, it breaths poison breath, and since Kirk uses the same poison in his attacks, we call him The Stench. I believe his friends call him 'Marsh'. I am 'The Bronze' and Montmorency is 'The Perfume'."

"I'm Kirche The Ardent," the redhead stated proudly. "And Louise is The Zero!"

A wave of nausea threatened to release what little he'd managed to eat in the past day. Combined with a bit of light-headedness and Ramza was sure that the poison that Kirk had used on him was starting to take effect.

"Montmorency, the perfume," Guiche said as he quickly rushed to Ramza's side.

The blond girl quickly extracted a vial and removed the stopper. "Breath lightly," she suggested as she held it up to Ramza's nose. "If you're already feeling lightheaded this is going to knock you out."

The squire nodded, bracing himself for what was to come.

"I shall watch over you," Guiche assured him.

"We all shall," Louise promised. "I can't let anyone harm my familiar after all."

* * *

"To arms!"

The guard's cry alerted the caravan to the Griffin Knights' arrival. Though the vaunted elite troupe had managed to surprise them before the remaining rebels had vowed that they would do all they could to prevent it from happening again. The trip wires they'd set up around the perimeter of their camp had been designed to be undetectable to the wind wizards.

Unfortunately preparation did little for the undermanned and outmatched rebels. Those that remained knew their odds. In their previous skirmish the rebels had outnumbered their attackers nearly 4:1 and escaped with just over half of their forces. If not for the interference of one Ramza Beoulve they probably would have been wiped out, instead they managed to repel their attackers and capture six of them.

Perhaps it was because of the previous assault that the Griffin Knights hit them with a larger force. At nearly 1:1 odds (not counting the wizards' familiars/mounts) the outcome of the skirmish was clear without a doubt. What wasn't clear was how much time the sacrificed lives would buy as the dragon rider fled with the troupe's most valuable cargo.

Armed with two or three muskets each, the remaining rebels fought hard. Smoke filled the clearing, making it all the harder for the attacking knights to realize that the dragon and its handler were missing. Shots rang out, drowning out the orders issued by the commanding knight. Volley after volley from the lethal weapons kept the knights focused on the imminent threats before them it would not be until after the fighting was over and the reports issued that they would recall that there had been a dragon rider amongst the rebel's number.

* * *

Though few recognized her academically due to her inability to cast elemental magic, Louise did in fact possess a keen mind and eyes. As she walked to her classes she heard the others whispering about her familiar. Long forgotten was the fact that he had spoken up against her treatment of the maid Siesta as the students and faculty focused on the outcome of the duel and not what had prompted it.

But it was not what her peers and teachers said that caught her attention, it was their actions. Outbursts like hers the previous night weren't uncommon during limited times that the nobles interacted with the commoners. Most weren't due to any particular fault of the servants, but were due in part to the sour moods of the students. It was so very easy for the nobles to take out their frustrations on the seemingly powerless servants that such displays were now commonplace.

Breakfast was the one meal that had the fewest of such outbursts in the past as the students tended to be more optimistic in the mornings, at least at the beginning of the term. The fact that there had been no outbursts though was remarkable, especially considering that one of the students had clearly received an orange instead of the apple that she had requested, and the fruit hadn't even been pealed or cut.

A strange air hung about the commons as the students ate that morning. Talk was of course focused on the results of the duel, yet even though they did not talk about what had happened leading up to the duel, it was obvious that all of the students thought about it each time they wanted to yell at one of the servants.

Louise had noticed the silence that had greeted her when she'd entered the commons, though talk slowly picked up when everyone noticed that her familiar wasn't with her.

The change in the atmosphere was not limited to the students and faculty as service by the staff was exceptionally good as well. Minor mistakes like bringing out the wrong fruit were forgiven, especially when one considered that apples were out of season in Tristan. No, the real change in the staff was that the smiles on their faces were more than just the forced smiles that they usually wore; the smiles appeared to be genuine.

"Good morning Miss Louise." Siesta's greeting seemed much more sincere than normal.

"Good morning, Siesta." The fact that Louise even remembered the girl was in and of itself astounding, though considering the circumstances not surprising. Still, the mere use of the maid's name seemed to brighten her smile.

"What would you like for breakfast Miss Louise?"

"Oranges are in season, aren't they?" mused Louise. "I'll have some orange juice, some toast and orange marmalade."

"Of course." Siesta offered a polite curtsy. "If I may, how is Ramza doing?"

"Guiche took him to the baths," the pinkette answered. "I expect they'll be along soon."

Again Siesta's smile brightened. "Thank you. I'll be right back with your breakfast."

* * *

Ramza Beoulve could remember the last time he'd take such a luxurious bath. Having lived the life of a squire at the military academy one was not used to taking such baths. Even his home did not have a bath such as the one at the Tristan Magic Academy. No, only Lionel Castle had such a spacious bath, though even the late Cardinal's bath paled in comparison to the polished white granite walls and floor, and the crystalline dome that capped the spacious baths.

"I've never seen such a marvelous bath," he exclaimed as he dressed.

"I've never seen such marvelous grieves and gauntlets," Guiche mimicked. "Mythril, am I correct?"

Ramza glanced around, making sure that no one was around. Though the pair had waited for most of the other boys had already finished bathing before they had arrived, the squire wanted to make sure that no one was listening.

"The bathes are enchanted," Guiche assured him. "Both the men and women's baths are warded to keep wizards from spying on anyone in the bathes.

"I may only be a novice wizard, but I can tell that your armor is enchanted. I've never seen the like before. If I had to guess I'd say that the gauntlets alone are worth a minor noble's fortune."

"They were hard won," Ramza assured his new companion. "The spoils of war."

"It's been centuries since Tristan has been at war," Guiche remarked. "But you're not from Tristan, or Romalia, are you?"

The squire stiffened.

"If that were Tristan, Romalian, or even Germania I would have been able to find it in the record books. And the way you speak our language suggests that it is not your native tongue."

Ramza nodded.

"You've traveled far, and you're only a few years older than I am," Guiche summed. "I'd wager that you've seen more than your share of battle."

Again Ramza nodded.

"Though my family is renown in Tristan as a military family, few of us have actually seen any action outside of dealing with raiders and brigands."

"You wish for me to train you?" Ramza surmised.

Guiche closed his eyes, nodding as he finished buttoning his shirt. "If you would. Of course it would have to be in secret."

"Because I'm someone's familiar or because I'm a commoner?"

Standing tall, Guiche shook his head. "Nobles are prideful people. As you've seen most think little of those who cannot use magic. Even now commoners who cannot use magic are not allowed to own land.

"If people were to see you sparring with a wizard they might think that we were conspiring to revolt."

"Revolt?"

"There is word that disillusioned nobles and wizards from common families are arming themselves in Albion. In a small country like Tristan where the nobles are only outnumbered 5 to 1, the nobles and the army are able to suppress the commoners. But in Albion and even Germania where commoners outnumber nobles by nearly 15 to one, it is harder for their armies to suppress the commoners."

Guiche's logic made sense. The raid that he'd witnessed had been one-sided in favor of the Griffin Knights and they had been outnumbered 4 to 1 until he'd arrived. And they had mentioned something about rebels in Albion. "Where would we train?"

"I'll take care of that," the young noble replied. "Once I find something I'll let you know."

* * *

As the headmaster of the Tristan Magic Academy, Osmond had come to understand and even anticipate the shifting moods of the academy. An air of excitement usually hung over the academy in the days following the Springtime summoning ritual and though that was but a day past an unusual tension instead.

"Is something bothering you sir?"

The white haired wizard turned to his assistant. The voluptuous young wizard he'd recently found before the start of the term was slowly adapting to life at the academy and as such had yet to truly get a feel for the place. "It's nothing," he replied.

"Really? Good," the woman replied as she placed a stack of papers onto the headmaster's desk. "You're not bothered by the rumors of a third year being bested by a commoner, are you?"

Leaning back in his plush chair, Osmond glanced out his window.

"Headmaster!" a muffled voice cried out from beyond the thick double doors that separated the headmaster's office from the rest of the building.

"Mister Colbert," the old man greeted his most senior staff.

"Sir," the bald mage panted as he rushed into the office.

"Have you brought the list of familiar runes?"

"I have sir," Colbert replied. "I wanted to talk to you about some of the runes that appeared this year."

"I see," the old man replied as he turned his chair around. "Miss Longville, I should have the forms filled by this afternoon."

The two men waited until the curvy assistant departed the room before resuming their conversation. The additional time allowed the bald mage time to compose himself as he eyed his report.

"Sir," Colbert's voice trembled ever so slightly as he opened the ancient book, "something amazing has happened."

"Indeed it has," Osmond remarked. "You speak of Miss Villiere's familiar, do you not?"

"How did you know?" Looking up Colbert eyed the headmaster.

"In all my years at the academy no one had summoned a commoner until now," the old mage sighed. "And what a commoner he is."

The Flame Snake paused, unsure what to say. "Sir?"

"I assume that you've been busy researching the runes, so you probably haven't heard that a commoner defeated a mage in a duel." Seeing the startled look on the Flame Snake's face the headmaster waved his hand. Immediately the crystal vessel levitated into the air over his desk before tipping sideways and filling a matching cup with its contents. "A triangle mage was bested by a commoner in a duel."

With another wave of his hand he summoned a chair for Colbert to slip into. Yet to his surprise the bald mage remained standing.

"He has the Gandalfr runes," Colbert whispered. "It's no surprise that he was able to best even a triangle mage with those runes." Sliding the text towards the headmaster he flipped it around for the elder mage to read.

"I imagine he is a Gandalfr," Osmond replied coolly. "But what you fail to consider is that this commoner bested a triangle mage with naught but a few stones and his bare hands."

The headmaster watched as the Flame Snake blinked in astonishment before slinking into the chair and accepting the glass of water. "He did what?"

"Unarmed and without the aid of the runes Ranmza Beoulve bested Kirk Vonnegut," Osmond stated clearly. "He bested The Marsh with ease. I shudder what to think he'd be able to do with the runes."

* * *

To the human eye naught but darkness filled the ancient fortress despite the time of day. The thick canopy consisting of barbed interwoven thorns blanketed the vast clearing and the castle that it contained.

Yet darkness cannot cast out darkness.

A human eye would not have been able to see the unnatural black light that swirled about the largest room of the castle, or been able to make out the runes that illuminated the room for those who could see the light. Nor would they have seen the eerie flare of said light as five caskets opened.

"It appears that the others were defeated," a voice proclaimed. "Why Ultima continues to obsess about this other world I do not understand."

"What else are we to do Rophochehe?" a second voice demanded. "The elves have trapped us in this hovel."

"We seek vessels within this realm," the voice belonging to Rochochehe replied. "While the others were wasting their time getting a foothold in the other world Leviathan and I have managed to accomplish that here."

* * *

A/N

I think that's it for this chapter.

This isn't going to be the usual FoZ crossover. Obviously Ramza isn't the only thing associated with Final Fantasy Tactics that has been brought over.

Dreamingfox


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes –

Not much to say yet. Obviously I do not own the rights to either Familiar of Zero or Final Fantasy Tactics. Hell, if I did do you think I'd be doing this for free? Oh, and of course this is a work of fanfiction meant solely for the intent to entertain (mostly me as the author, but also for those who feel the need to read it) and not for profit. I gain nothing but entertainment, experience, and some gratification of my ego for writing and posting this work.

Checking out _Noir_ on Netflix and I realized that they're using the same soundtrack as _.Hack_, just slightly more upbeat.

Enjoy if you will, tolerate if you must.

* * *

Most who knew Ramza Beoulve in Ivalice would have said that the young squire let few things slip by him. His instructors in the academy worked him hard, some to test his limits; others in hopes of seeing him fail. It was because of them that Ramza had learned to read the moods as well as he did.

The mood of the kitchens was easy to read.

"Ramza!" Siesta greeted excitedly as he entered the kitchen.

Offering her a curt bow he returned her greeting, "Good morning Siesta."

The slight blush on the maid's fair face almost caught him off guard. Though the squire had spent much of the past two years on the battlefield he had seen his fair share of tavern wenches that had taken a fancy to him. It wasn't just his family's name (though that was appealing for some), though his brothers and father were said to be handsome men as well.

"What brings you here?" the maid asked as she set her tray of half empty bowls and plates down.

"Breakfast – I was hoping to get something to eat."

"Oh, of course, but why aren't you eating in the commons?"

"I did not wish to disturb the students' breakfast," he replied. Though he did not understand the significance of defeating Kirk at the time, Guiche had helped to enlighten him.

"That's Our Fist," a large man said jovially as he prepared a tray.

"'Our Fist'?"

"The nobles have their names; why not give our champion one as well?" Siesta stated as she took his left hand into hers. A gentle smile graced her lips as she led him over to the tray of food the cook had set aside. "You are now 'Our Fist', the commoner defending his fellow commoners from the Nobles who oppress and take advantage of us."

"Well," he muttered as he sat down, "I would have done that for anyone in your situation. Noble or commoner, if they are in need I will do what I can to help them, even if it means that I have to fight on their behalf."

"But you have so much courage!" beamed Siesta. "To be able to stand up to nobles without having to flatter or bow down to them – I respect that!

"Most mages are nobles. Between their magical powers and the power of their station in life if a commoner were to offend them there is usually nothing that a commoner could to stop them. Our usual choices are either to apologize or find a more powerful mage to protect us."

Listening patiently to her as he ate, Ramza was provided with more insight on the world he now inhabited. Tristan was not so different from Ivalice in that nobles were primarily the ones to enter their respective academies, though it was far more segregated.

In Ivalice it took considerable money to attend the academies, though only the richer families were able to send their daughters to the convent or magic academy. Noble families such as his were easily able to afford such costs, though some successful merchant families were able to send their children there after negotiating exclusive deals with said academy, convent, or a noble family.

For the residents of Tristan though entrance into the Academies were limited to nobles. The rare person with magical ability who was not a noble was only allowed into one of the lesser academies, though only if they could afford the cost of tuition. For the rare noble born without the ability to cast magic there was only the military academy where they were taught to use muskets. To supplement their numbers some commoners who came from families loyal to either a noble house or the king/queen were allowed to enter the military academy. Again cost was a factor, though pride was a larger one as most noble families tended to send only bastard children to the military academy.

Craftsmen often signed with nobles, exchanging a good share of their profits for protection as only nobles were able to provide the necessary protection for merchant caravans that carried both the supplies and the finished products. His own firsthand experience had proven that true as the caravan he'd encountered had appeared to be well off yet had been decimated by half their number of attacking wizards (and their familiars).

In either world, nobles appeared to be nobles. It was because of his intimate knowledge of nobles that Ramza stayed close to Siesta that day, shying away from his duties as a familiar in favor of getting to know the maid's schedule. Everywhere they went he had the distinct sensation that someone was spying on them.

While Kirk himself might leave Siesta and Ramza alone, the squire could not say the same of the others in the noble's entourage.

Only the compulsion of the runes kept him from staying close to Siesta throughout the day as he was forced to help tend to his master's needs between classes. He was at least grateful that he did not have to sit through her classes with the exception of the afternoon's session where the second years were to bond with their familiars. Most of the other students had simple familiars – rats, owls, hawks, snakes, and other seemingly non-magical creatures. The magical creatures varied from bugbears (or giant eyes as he knew them), morbol, a wingless dragon known as a salamander, a giant mole, and a blue dragon.

He and Louise simply watched as the others interacted with their familiars while the two of them did naught but sit together awkwardly.

"What can you do?" Louise finally asked.

He blinked, not sure how to answer the loaded question.

"I mean, Kirche's familiar Flame spits, well, fire. Tabitha's familiar can fly and someday she'll be able to ride it and it'll breathe lightning."

"And I will do what I need to do while you cast your spells," Ramza replied. "That is the primary function of a familiar, is it not?" For a moment the two locked eyes in a contest of wills. "Rest assured Louise, I will protect you."

"But for now you will protect the maid?" Louise muttered bitterly.

"I will protect anyone from injustice," he replied. "Commoner or Noble - it matters not to me."

"Do what you will," she said as she turned away. "I… I do not need your protection."

"Oh my, isn't that The Marsh's familiar?"

"He's so much larger than Tabatha's dragon."

Cautiously Ranmza turned to face the large green scaled dragon. In his time he'd fought more than his fair share of dragons, and though this one was significantly smaller than any that he'd dispatched. Still, dragons were deadly for a reason.

Opening its mouth, the green dragon casually walked over to the squire.

"It appears that he has a message for you from his master," Guiche explained as he strode over to the squire.

Indeed the beast had a message for him in its jaws. Retrieving the scroll Ramza quickly unfurled it.

"Well," Louise asked as she took a step towards him. "What does it say?"

"I'm not sure," Ramza replied. "I don't read Romalian."

Guiche and Louise fell over, stunned by his admission.

"I guess it's too much to expect from a commoner," Louise grumbled. "An illiterate commoner…"

"I am not illiterate," Ramza huffed, his pride bruised by the accusation. "I simply do not read this language."

Snatching the parchment out of his hands Kirche smiled seductively at him, "It says 'Meet me at the eastern ramparts at sunset – Kirk.'"

"Sounds like another challenge," Guiche stated.

'_Sounds like an ambush,'_ Ramza thought as he turned to face the eastern ramparts. _'Definitely an ambush.'_

* * *

Ramza Beoulve was no stranger to ambushes. As a heretic he'd spent much of the past year being chased by the authorities, and sometimes that meant that he'd been led into ambushes.

With the sun hidden behind the western ramparts and the castle this section of the castle was hidden in growing shadows. With minimal light Ramza cautiously tread into the open. On the opposite side he could make out a lone, cloaked figure. "Kirk."

"Ramza," the other boy replied. "It was foolish of you to come here."

"It was foolish of you to challenge me again," Ramza countered. "Even with your friends helping you."

"So you knew it was an ambush and you came anyways?" scoffed Kirk. "What a foolish commoner."

"Not as foolish as you," the squire stated. "Do you think that the outcome is going to be any different this time around just because your friends are helping you?"

Without any warning the wind suddenly picked up around him. It was not enough to knock him off the wall, but it was enough to distract him. Three blasts similar to the ones that Kirk had employed hit him from the side and would have knocked him over had it not been for his equipment.

'_Ah, the wind was merely an excuse for me falling to my death,'_ Ramza observed.

"What where you're aiming," someone shouted.

The squire grinned. _'So this trinket does work here.'_

Judging by their reaction, it was clear that his attackers had encircled him. More than likely they were hovering in the air hidden by an invisibility spell that kept them concealed to any onlookers. The tingling sensation returned, signaling that someone was targeting him again.

He could hear their spell casting, yet Ramza Beoulve stood his ground. Several more invisible blasts hit him, only to again be deflected so that they hit the remainder of Kirk's associated, this time knocking them from the air and breaking the invisibility spells on them. Fortunately for the young wizards they weren't flying too high off of the ground and their dark cloaks probably kept anyone inside the castle from spotting them.

Confident that the wizards were no longer a threat to him, Ramza charged at the startled Kirk. "This is how cowards fight," he declared. "You know you can't beat me fair and square, so you hide your friends to ambush me! Where is the honor in that?"

A powerful blast of hair hit him, only to be deflected again. Before Kirk could say anything else Ramza silenced the noble, jamming his fist into the wizard's jaw, forcing his mouth closed.

Dazed, but clearly out of the fight, Kirk could only stare up at the squire.

"It's over Kirk."

"I yield!" the wizard proclaimed. "I promise, I'll never attack you again!"

Glaring down at the defeated boy, Ramza stood his ground until he was confident that it would be the last time.

* * *

"We finally caught up with you," the proud Griffin Knight declared as he pointed his wand at the rogue wizard.

"So you have," the blue robed wizard grinned.

"You shouldn't have killed your familiar," the knight reprimanded. "It was your only chance to escape us. After all, you did abandon your comrades and the muskets. So what could have been so important that you went ahead without them?"

The robed wizard remained silent.

"From your silence am I to understand that you are surrendering yourself to us then?"

The rogue sneered, "I doubt that."

Before either he or any of his knights could react the rogue wizard lashed out. Even with his hands held in place and without chanting any incantations, the wizard had managed to blast each of the half dozen knights with a barrage of icicles.

Six more knights moved into place, each striking the rogue with a different spell. Each spell hit, yet the robed wizard simply shrugged.

"I'll show you some real power!" his eyes aglow. Swinging his staff around, the wizard prepared a powerful attack.

More spells hit him as he prepared his spell, though none managed to do significant damage. With his spell complete, the rogue mage grinned, waving his staff around and trapping half of the knights in prison of ice.

"Sir!" one of the knights ran up to aid the ranking knight.

"None of you will survive this encounter!" the rogue declared as he conjured a lance of ice. With a mighty heave he pinned another knight to a tree, immediately freezing the knight and the tree.

"Fire and earth spells!" the second in command ordered focused on the rogue wizard. "Free the first lieutenant!"

With half of their forces captured and another quarter dedicated to freeing them, only three wizards and their familiars focused on the rogue.

"Ha! Do you think you can seriously defeat me?!" he scoffed. Conjuring a sphere of water, he commanded it to latch onto the closest of the remaining Griffin Knight's, surrounding his head so that the wizard could not breath.

"Damn you!" the second lieutenant cursed as he sent several air blades to cut the sphere. Seeing that his spells failed to dispel the sphere he watched as the captured knight's mount snatched him up, carrying him away from the battlefield.

Suddenly the captured knights' mounts swarmed the wizard, assailing him with their lethal claws and beaks. Occupied by the familiars the knights focused on their spells. Just as the rebel wizard repelled the griffins a volley of lethal spells hit him. Yet for all the power that the square and triangle mages could muster their spells rolled off of their target like rain off of a frog.

"Retreat!" the second in command ordered. "Retreat!"

"Sir?" another knight called out, perplexed at the command.

"We need someone with stronger fire spells," the knight stated. "Retreat!"

With expert precision the remaining knights did so regardless of how reluctant they were to leave their own behind. For the second time in roughly a week the elite Griffin Knights were leaving men behind again.

* * *

Word of Kirk Vonnegut's second defeat at the hands of Ramza Beoulve quickly spread through the academy. By dawn of the next morning the rumor mill had confirmed that Kirk and his friends had been called up to the headmaster's office and officially reprimanded for their respective roles in the affair.

For his part Ramza remained tight lipped about his own involvement. It helped that all of the spells that were tossed about had been lower level wind spells, all invisible to the eye, and that the time of day and the location did not allow for good lighting, making it possible that the young, inexperienced wizards had been within range of each other's attacks.

For the green haired secretary the atmosphere at academy couldn't be better. With everyone busy focusing on disciplining the students and on the chaos caused by their failed attempt to ambush the commoner turned familiar Ms. Longville found herself lost in the shuffle. Because everything was being left off of the students' records there was no need for any paperwork to be added to their files.

Tapping the wall of the academy's treasury she focused on the various enchantments that protected the entire tower. Though she was not on Chevreuse's level, the green haired woman was still a triangle mage of the earth element. Transfiguration was an earth mage's strength, yet she knew that she would not be able to break into the vault.

"Ah, Miss Longville."

Spinning around, she turned to face the Flame Snake. "Mr. Colbert."

"What brings you down here?" the bald mage asked.

"Oh, you know," she stalled, trying to think of something plausible, "the headmaster wanted me to check the inventory."

"Did he now?" he muttered. "I guess he has been busy since the new batch of familiars arrived."

"This last incident doesn't help matters much," she seconded. "But with all the additional work he's started to shuffle other tasks to me."

"Oh," he muttered again. "Well, I understand that we're all busy… but would you like to have lunch with me?"

"Oh, lunch," now it was her turn to mutter, "sure, why not?"

He blinked. "Really?"

She could see him blushing. _'Men really are easy to manipulate.'_

"So," he babbled, "I'm sure you'd find many fascinating items in the vault."

"Really?" she asked, allowing him to try and impress her with his knowledge. "Like what?"

"Well," he grinned. "Osmond discovered the Staff of Destruction a while back. It's an oddly made staff, but incredibly powerful. That's why he sealed it in the academy's vault."

Grabbing his arm, she pulled herself close to him, "Tell me more."

* * *

Ramza Beoulve was a man of secrets. Branded a heretic, he had kept the secret of the Zodiac Braves and the Holy Stones. Of course he had kept his secrets even though most of them would have no bearing on those around him in this world. Though his understanding of magic was vastly different from how magic worked in this world some recent revelations had turned things around. Honestly he had not expected the Reflect Ring to work as it had. Well, in truth, it had worked just as it had when he'd been in Ivalice. And that was not what he'd expected. It worked, which meant that while the elements of magic in this world were different than those he'd known the principals were the same. It also meant that he might be able to use magic.

That knowledge could turn around how people here saw him. Combine that with the fact that he was the bastard son of a noble in Ivalice and opinions would definitely change. But did he want them to? Here, though he might be considered just a commoner, he had no other expectations and in his travels he'd realized just how much of an advantage it could be to have others underestimate him. But if Louise were to discover his background she might expect more of him as a familiar, though she might also see him as a peer.

With too many uncertainties it was hard to say how things might turn out. Yes, it was best to keep things under wraps; at least for now.

* * *

Despite her multiple, spectacular failures at casting elemental magic, Louise knew that she was not stupid. Though she had not been in the fight, she'd seen enough of it to know that things really didn't add up. While no one doubted Ranmza' prowess in a fight, it was still unbelievable that he had managed to best nearly a dozen third year students by just dodging their invisible spells.

While she might lack magical skill, she knew when things didn't add up. Ramza Beoulve was keeping a secret, or multiple secrets, and it bothered her. He was her familiar - he shouldn't be keeping secrets from her!

"Good morning Miss Valliere," the always cheerful Siesta greeted.

"Morning," she returned sourly, putting the maid on defensive.

"Is something the matter Miss Valliere? Is Ramza alright?"

A slight trembling of her hands was all the indication that the maid's question had upset her even more. "No, he's alright," she managed to say. "After all, what could hurt him? He did defeat a half dozen triangle mages and four more line mages. What could hurt him?"

"Right," Siesta replied, unsure what else to say. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"An apple turnover," the pinkette replied automatically.

"I'll see what I can do," the maid said before retreating.

"Is something a matter?" a familiar voice asked.

She'd thought that her mood couldn't get any worse. Yet here she was, proven wrong once again. "Kirche."

"Is Ramza alright?" the buxom girl asked. "He wasn't actually hurt by Kirk and his crew, was he? Or is he just taking a bath again?"

"Why does it matter to you what my familiar is up to?" snapped Louise. "Mind your own business."

"I'm only trying to be polite," the redhead replied.

"You will not add Ramza to the list of boys you've conquered," the smaller girl replied with a glare.

For a moment the two rivals stood face to face.

"Look, a flight of griffins!"

Every noble save two turned towards the vast window of the commons.

"It's the Griffin Knights!"

Their quarrel forgotten, even the two hot tempered girls turned towards the window. It was one thing to see a messenger arrive by either a dragon or griffin, but to see the vaunted Griffin Knights, that was another thing altogether.

Breakfast long forgotten, the nobles rushed from their tables and into the courtyard.

"Where is the headmaster?" the ranking knight demanded even before his mount touched ground.

"Headmaster Osmond is still in his office." The fact that the still early morning light reflected off of the man's head told all the students that it was Colbert the Flame Snake that had answered.

"Master Colbert," the knight offered a polite but rushed nod, "you may not remember me"

"You are Kurt Vonnegut," Colbert finished. "I heard that you made Second Lieutenant – congratulations."

"Thank you."

The closer she got to the knights the more evident it was that the knights were fairly ragged.

"Headmaster," the second lieutenant called out as he spotted the distinctive figure of the headmaster.

The students immediately parted, making way for the venerable mage and the Griffin Knight.

"Ah, Kurt, good to see you again," the headmaster greeted the knight.

"I wonder if he's here because of his brother?" someone muttered far too loudly.

"Would the Griffin Knights come here for something like that?"

"They might if they realized just how much of a threat the commoner is."

"What brings you here?" the headmaster asked loudly, drowning out the students and reminding them of their manners.

"There is an emergency," Kurt stated. "I've been ordered to come here and ask for the Staff of Destruction. We have encountered an enemy with incredible power."

"It sounds like your mission is dangerous!"

"It is of the utmost importance." Turning towards the students, he stood tall. "We area also to ask for any volunteers to assist us in fighting this rogue. I assure you that all volunteers will be tasked with only assisting us, not in actually combatting our enemy. A messenger has been sent to procure reinforcements, but the gathered knights and any volunteers are to intercept the enemy and delay them until reinforcements arrive."

Silence filled the courtyard.

'_What matter would be of such importance that they Griffin Knights came to recruit volunteers, much less students?'_ Louise pondered.

"I volunteer!"

All eyes turned to face the lone speaker.

"Isn't that the commoner?!"

"Ramza!?" squawked a startled Louise.

"Ramza Beoulve!" the elder Vonnegut cried out in surprise.

"I volunteer," Ramza repeated as the crowd parted, allowing him to make his way towards the Griffin Knights. "I may not be much for support magic though."

The raven haired knight smiled warmly, extending his hand to the squire. "Your presence would be more valuable than any number of support wizards," Kurt proclaimed as Ramza took his offered hand. "I had thought I would never see you again. What brings you here?"

"I do," Louise said in the loudest, most regal voice she could manage. As with Ramza and the headmaster, the students parted for her, opening a path to the Griffin Knights. "Ramza Beoulve is my familiar."

This caught the gathered knights off guard.

"Then you have a fine familiar," Kurt finally said. "This man bested me and five of my men and our familiars. With his aid alone we might be able to defeat the enemy before any reinforcements arrive. Please, accompany us on our mission. I am sure that with Ramza fighting beside us we could achieve victory."

"I volunteer," another voice called out.

"Brother," Kurt grinned as he spotted his younger sibling. "I would be glad to have you with us."

"I, Guiche de Grammont, volunteer as well."

"Ah, General Grammont's son," the Second Lieutenant nodded at the second year.

"I volunteer," Louise stated.

"Thank you Lady Valliere."

* * *

A/N

I think I'll leave things here for now.

Dreamingfox


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes –

Yes, expect the plot of this fic to deviate from the manga, anime and light novels for Familiar of Zero.

I know, some of you are hoping that I'll update some of my other, unfinished fics, and I'm trying, but I've just started getting back into writing and this fic seems to have my attention.

* * *

Duty and honor were two words that the captain of the Griffin Knights understood all too well. The later called for him to immediately deploy reinforcements while the former called for him to consider how many men to deploy. Though the Griffin Knights were one of the elite units, their lacked the sheer numbers needed to be everywhere and handle everything. There were normally four units guarding the Princess, leaving four for various investigations and four on standby, but with the Princess negotiating the treaty in Germania six units had been assigned to her. With only two units on standby the Griffin Knights were running ragged.

"Have Units Seven ready to disembark in ten minutes," the Captain ordered.

His lieutenant nodded, dismissing the second lieutenant and sending him to ready the men. "Sir, do you really think that one mage without a familiar could cause such havoc?"

"They were supposed to be transporting stolen artifacts and weapons to Albion," the gray haired captain stated. "And if reports are to believed they acquired something in the elves – something powerful. They'll head to Albion, and we need to do everything we can to stop them."

* * *

In the few days since he'd come to this world, Ramza Beoulve had yet to feel that he truly missed something from his world. Today though he couldn't help but miss riding chocobos. Though the mount he was currently riding was strong and swift, it left much to be desired. Despite its size and four legs it was significantly slower than a chochobo and moved in a distinctly different rhythm.

One thing was sure, Ramza strongly disliked horses.

Fighting through the mild nausea, he concentrated on the plan. The handful of students that had volunteered were flying ahead, preparing the area where they expected to ambush the rogue wizard. From what he understood, the initial assault against the lone mage had resulted in the near loss of half of their forces. Fortunately the wizard had opted not to finish them off and instead moved on, leaving half of the knights imprisoned in blocks of ice. Two of the Griffin Knights had died before being freed of the ice, the rest managed to create a bubble of air around them so that they hadn't suffocated.

Clutching the reflect ring, Ramza mentally ran through his personal inventory. Unsure of how magic worked in this world, he was loathed to use the handful of potions in his possession. With his magical abilities blocked, he was forced to rely on his most basic of skill sets – squire and monk. But Onion Knight had its appeal too. While he wouldn't be able to use any skills, he could use all of his weapons and equipment.

The previous night's skirmish had proven that the reflect ring worked, so in theory the Ribbon would too. Equipped to fight a mage, Ramza hoped that it would be enough. If not then he still had Excalibur and the Reverie Shield to rely on. _'Fortune favors the prepared.'_

"We're here," Kurt proclaimed as he swooped down before the foremost of the ground riders. "There's a squadron of Griffin Knights chasing him now, leading him there" he pointed to the bridge to the west. "The bridge is obviously too important to be taken out, so we're having the students fortify the plains over there for battle. Avoid the boulders - we've rigged them to explode when stepped on. The knoll is set to entrap anyone who steps on it."

"He can't fly," Ramza surmised.

Kurt nodded. "He can, but once he takes to the air he loses his advantage, so he's been keeping to the road. He's appears to be attuned to water and wind, which is why we picked this place to ambush him. Those with familiars that can fly will harass him from above. The students will be tasked with tending to the injured."

It was the squire's turn to nod as he processed the information. Something in his gut was telling him that things weren't right. Everything was set against this rogue wizard, but apparently it was needed.

He'd fought the Griffin Knights before, even managed to defeat and capture six of them, but that was when they had not expected him. Had the rogue wizard managed the same? From what the second lieutenant had told him he'd caught three squadrons off guard.

Only one thing he knew of had that much power.

"It's not meant to stop him, merely delay," the second lieutenant stated. "The Griffin Knights that are hounding him now are only triangle mages, but even with our number we weren't able to stop him. Only those with ranks of Captain or above know how to combine magic."

"Combine?"

Kurt glanced around, making sure that there was no one that could overhear them. "You know of the dot, line, triangle and square ranks, right?"

Ramza nodded.

"The potency of a spell relies on the amount of power that a mage has, but there are ranks over square," Kurt explained. "Pentagram, Hexagon, and even Octagon level spells are usually cast only when two magi combine their power together. Only a few select wizards are capable of doing it successfully.

"You were there when my troops attacked the rebels; do you recall their wizard being powerful enough to defeat the two squadrons that had engaged them?"

Ramza shook his head.

"You were more of a problem to us than both of them combined," the second lieutenant stated. "Something that they were transporting gave the wizard enough power to defeat three full squadrons. We're not waiting for more knights; we're waiting for a Captain. I'm a triangle mage, and our captain is a square mage, we should at least be able to perform a hexagon level spell."

It took a moment for Ramza to process the information. Though he had limited knowledge of how magic worked in this realm, things clearly did not work the same way in Ivalice. Sure, some wizards were able to cast multiple spells in immediate succession, but never had he heard of wizards combining their mana pools and merging spells.

"It will be an amazing sight indeed," Kurt said. "We just need to keep the rogue occupied while the spell is being cast."

Absently Ramza nodded as he still tried to process everything he'd been told.

"I just hope the Captain gets here before the rebel does."

"How long do we have?"

"The rogue should be here by dusk; the Captain should get here sometime tonight."

"I'll set camp over there," Ramza declared, pointing to the road a good third of the way between the wizard and the rocky field where the Griffin Knights were preparing their ambush.

Kurt nodded. "I'll have half a squad providing you with support and the rest of the squad guarding Miss Louise and her friends over there. I'll tell them that they're to survey the terrain while the others finish the staging area."

"I'll walk the rest of the way," Ramza stated.

Kurt smirked. "I think the horse didn't like you either."

Checking his equipment, the young squire took the time to ensure that nothing had any sufficient wear or tear that might result in it breaking or malfunctioning during the upcoming battle.

* * *

Few things made Headmaster Osmond nervous. In his long tenure at the Tristan Magic Academy the white haired wizard had rarely asked for assistance and had rarely been asked for it in return. Many knew of the Staff of Destruction, but few knew what it was capable of, and only one had ever seen it in action.

In his prime Osmond had been renowned as a formidable mage, yet even he could not defeat an adult dragon without careful preparation. In truth few could. The hatchlings that the students often summoned were perhaps as old as they were, having seen 15-16 winters, but dragons did not reach adulthood until they had seen five decades. The difference in power between the two was considerable.

Had the strangely dressed man not crossed paths with him that day Osmond knew that he would not be the headmaster today. As cunning and powerful as he was, he knew that he was not match for the adult blue he'd encountered. No, he owed his life to the strange man who had used the Staff of Destruction on that blue dragon.

"Sir?"

Stirred from his reverie by his lovely assistant, Osmond offered her a gentle smile. "Yes Ms. Longueville?"

"I was asking why you had denied the Knight's their request," the green haired woman replied.

"Ah, that's right," he sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I'm afraid that I don't know how to use it."

"Sir?"

"The man who used it died soon after using it."

Miss Longueville nodded, "So it's an artifact that causes the user to die. Dark magic indeed."

Osmond shook his head. "He died of his injuries – injuries he incurred before using the staff. His injuries were beyond anything that I could heal, not that I could have healed anything beyond a few light scratches at the time."

"I see."

* * *

The fading light of the day masked the presence of the Griffin Knights behind him, making it all the harder for the quickly approaching rogue wizard. Out of the corner of his eyes he watched the approaching flight of griffins.

The squire hated waiting for battle. Honestly, he hated fighting, but sometimes it was necessary. Still, it did little to ease the tension he felt in his body as he waited for the Knights. Rested, he opted to leave the camp to meet his opponent. Each step released a bit of the stiffness that had accumulated over the course of the afternoon.

Finally the foremost of the Griffin Knights passed overhead, signaling the imminent approach of the rogue wizard. Checking the strap of his shield, he stood firmly in the middle of the road.

"Ramza Beoulve," the shadowy figure called out. "I've heard so much about you."

"You're"

"Not the same person you previously met," the wizard confirmed. Eire blue light escaped from his eyes, marking the unnatural state he was currently in. "This flesh sack didn't realize who you were, but once I possessed him I realized just who you were."

"You really are a Lucavi," Ramza stated.

"I can't believe Belias managed to banish you here. Ah, but where are my manners, I am Leviathan." With a flourished bow the wizard kept his distance. "I was hoping that the knights might find you."

"And so they have."

"So they have… I can't believe that you managed to defeat Ultima, but then again, it wasn't just you, but your companions too. I doubt that the Griffin Knights alone will be able to help you defeat the rest of us."

"I can stop you though," the squire stated as he unsheathed Excalibur.

"Maybe," Leviathan ceded. "But I'm not fighting you today. This meat suit just doesn't fit right… and I can't risk losing it just yet, not until I regain my full power.

"Those foolish knights, they really should not have left me alone for this long. Still, I must thank them, because without them I wouldn't be able to do this!"

Black lightning filled the air between them, scorching the ground and leaving a pattern that Ramza had come to recognize all too well.

Six figures emerged from the black portal. Dark blue wings protruded from the creatures' backs while powerful muscles rippled beneath the leathery flesh.

"Archaedaemons," Ramza hissed. Alone, against six of them, he knew he was in trouble.

"Have fun," sneered Leviathan he moved to leap into the portal.

Instinct propelled him towards the Archaedaemons. Even as outnumbered as he was, Ramza knew that he had to do all that he could to keep Leviathan from escaping. Unfortunately the closest of the blue-skinned fiends refused to let him proceed unimpeded.

Even with his increased speed while wielding the legendary sword, Ramza knew he could not keep Leviathan from escaping. Sword drawn, he felt a familiar surge of power, yet it was more than anything he'd done himself. In a flash he was standing beside the closest of the Archaedaemons, slashing at the fiend and drawing out an outraged howl. Bringing his left arm up Ramza bashed the creature with his shield, knocking it on its back.

"Til next time Ramza Beoulve!"

The squire looked up just in time to see a dark dragon emerge from the portal, allowing the rogue to mount it. Unfortunately it wasn't alone as six more Archaedaemons appeared.

Things really weren't looking good for him.

* * *

"Can you see him?" Kirche asked as she stoked Flame's leathery head.

The red skinned familiar shook its head.

"It's getting dark," the pinkette stated sourly. The long ride out to the Griffin Knight's camp had done little for Louise Valliere's mood. Though she was accustomed to riding horseback, she'd never done while maintaining such a speed for such a long distance without any breaks. Of course her preferred method of travel was flying with carriage rides a close second. The former was impossible as she lacked a mount capable of flight and the latter was significantly slower when considering the number of people needing transport.

Of the dozen or so volunteers and their familiars from the academy only six of them could not use their familiars as a mount, forcing the remaining nobles to ride horse back the entire way.

The fact that she could do little to help the other students and Griffin Knights prepare for the coming assault dampened her already sour mood, but when combined with the fact that her familiar was to play an integral role and be in the front lines frustrated her even more.

"Trouble," the blunette stated as she shut her book.

"What?" the other second years gasped.

"What is it Tabatha?" the buxom girl asked as she turned to her friend.

Beside the usually silent girl her blue scaled familiar trembled anxiously. "Trouble."

"Is Ramza in trouble?" Guiche asked as he spared the girl a glance. "We should go help him out."

It was Louise's turn to shudder as she felt wave of panic pass through her. Though she knew that Ramza could handle himself in a fight, something about this seemed

"There," Guiche cried out, pointing to the flight of griffins as they passed overhead.

"Aren't they supposed to be following the rogue?" Kirche asked.

"Maybe he's already here," Guiche stated before running towards Ramza's camp. "Griffin's have horrible night vision. I doubt the Griffin Knights are able to see their opponent right now. They're probably going to be replaced with a few Knights that can cast fire spells."

"Fire spells?" Kirche gasped as she rushed after him.

"To give some light," Guiche explained. "Not that we need it now" he added as unnatural black lightning illuminated an area further away than they'd expected.

"He's not at the camp! Why isn't he at the camp?!"

Despite her size the pinkette quickly caught up with her taller classmates.

"Where's Tabatha?" Kirche asked as she realized how far behind the other two she was.

The sound of leathery wings told them all they needed to know.

"Shoot a fireball into the air!" Guiche ordered the redhead.

"But that's Tabatha!" the redhead protested.

"Not at them! We need to signal the Griffin Knights that the battle's started!"

"And it should give us some light to see by," Louise added as she slowed down to deal with the rocky terrain.

Pausing, Kirche focused before casting an illuminating light spell.

"What… what are those?" Louise gasped as she caught sight of the battlefield.

"That's a shadow dragon," Guiche exclaimed, his hands trembling as he took in the sight. "Are those daemons?"

The students stopped dead in their tracks, overwhelmed by the enemies that faced them.

"Ramza!" the pinkette cried out as she spotted her familiar. His distinctive blue shirt and shiny armor caught the light from the fireball, though the fact that he was the only human fighting amongst demons made him even more remarkable.

Setting her fears aside, Louise charged ahead.

"Louise!" Her companions' cries barely registered in her mind as she rushed ahead.

Though she'd never been on a battle field before, she knew that Ramza was quickly being overwhelmed by his opponents. With unnatural speed the squire wove through the daemons, his blade leaving a bloody swath through his enemies. But the blood on his armor and shirt was not all his enemies; sharp claws and muscular arms lashed out, matching each of his strikes.

Finally reinforcements arrived as a squadron of Griffin Knights appeared, unleashing a volley of spells upon the mighty daemons. Yet the tide of battle failed to turn with the addition of the knights as several daemons began exchanging spells with the mounted fighters. Powerful spells blasted the knights out of the air.

With a wave of his wand, Guiche joined the fray, conjuring six of his bronze Valkyries. The magical constructs quickly moved to shield the fallen knights as they scrambled to get their bearings after being knocked out of the sky.

"Guiche!" Ramza shouted as he cut down a daemon. "Get them out of here!"

Standing on higher ground and looking down on the battlefield Louise saw the strange inscriptions scorched into the road. "I… I think that's a summoning circle."

"What?" Louise exclaimed breathlessly.

"There are more daemons coming out of it," the smaller girl pointed at the figures that emerged from the portal.

"We're going to need an entire army to stop them," Guiche grunted as one of his Valkyries was destroyed. "These things are powerful!"

"Can't you make more of those?" Kirche asked as she focused on the closest daemon and sent a fireball at it.

"Six is my limit," Guiche stated as he conjured another Valkyrie.

"I think you made him angry," Louise cautioned as she raised her wand at the daemon as it brushed aside Kirche's fireball.

"Can you do better?" the taller girl challenged as she readied another fireball. Hissing, her familiar Flame inserted itself between the approaching daemon and its master.

Wand raised, Louise tried to conjure a fireball. The ball of purple light that emerged from the end of her wand surprised both girls, though the daemon paused. Flying straight at the daemon, the sphere stopped just short of the otherworldly creature before exploding.

Instinctively the girls brought their arms up, covering their faces from the blowing debris. When the breeze subsided they looked up, seeing nothing but a smoldering crater where the creature had stood.

"Wh-what was that?" Kirche finally managed to ask.

Louise blinked. "I don't know."

* * *

Dirt and smoke filled the road, startling all as the powerful spell discharged. Ramza was the first to recover, taking advantage of the chaos caused by Louise's spell to cut down another Archaedaemon. Though far from the most powerful or quickest fighter, Ramza knew that his survival hinged on his ability to make sense of things on the battlefield.

Powerful spells usually took considerably longer to cast, yet Louise had managed to kill a daemon with the spell she had cast on the fly.

Before he could put any more thought into her act he was forced to contend with another pair of threats. Excalibur in hand he cut down the quicker of the two daemons but left himself open for the larger one. Only his instincts combined with training allowed him to bring his shield up to block the mighty strike. The powerful blow rattled his arm, nearly ripping the shield from his forearm, but allowed him to slash his attacker with Excalibur.

A deafening roar told him that the blow had hurt the fiend – hurt but not killed - a distinction that resulted in a swift kick to the torso that sent him flying back from his opponent. Rolling to his feet, Ramza shook the cobwebs from his head. He could feel the cooling healing magic working, returning feeling to his numbed arm and stopping the bleeding from countless cuts and scrapes.

It was evident that the elite knights were outmatched as three knights were knocked out of the fight for every daemon that they managed to take out. The Archaedaemons' primary duty was to keep the Griffin Knights from following after the Lucavi while defeating Ramza was their secondary goal.

Another blast from Louise's wand struck down the Archaedaemon that had just kicked him, almost completing the job that the daemons had started. The explosion rattled him, undoing all the healing that his Brave Suit had managed and more. _'Ultima!'_

The dreaded spell had technically killed him. Were it not for the sacred ring that Alma had given him and her protective spells he would have died both times he was hit with the spell in Ivalice. Fortunately for him he'd just caught the edge of the spell and not been the focus of it this time. Still, he couldn't take another hit as even his Reflect Ring could not keep him safe from Ultima.

This time it was the Brave Suit's innate magic that healed him of some of his more serious injuries and relieving some of the pain caused by Louise's Ultima spell.

Getting to his feet, Ramza eyed battlefield. Of the dozen Archaedaemons that had been summoned all but four had been defeated. Fighting in pairs they were holding their own against the remaining Griffin Knights. Their thick, leathery skin repelled most physical attacks combined with their natural resistance to magic made them formidable foes.

"Guiche, cover Louise," the squire ordered. Regardless of her able to cast another Ultima, the remaining Archaedaemons would probably mark her as their greatest threat. From personal experience he knew that even a single casting of Ultima was taxing, but a second one would definitely be the limit of a normal wizard. Then again most of the people he'd encountered who could cast Ultima were fare from normal.

Ramza could feel an usual warmth rushing through his spine, the telltale sign of someone targeting him with offensive magic. A quick scan of the battlefield told him that it was one of the remaining Archaedaemons as the towering figure shrugged off a wind spell without bothering to retaliate.

In his mind he knew that the distance was far greater than what he should have been able to normally cover before the spell was complete. Regardless of the end result, Ramza charged forward, bypassing the other daemons on his way to cleaving the caster in twine just as a violet light was emitted.

Violent pain flared in every nerve in his body once again as though he were being ripped apart. Gripping Excalibur's hilt, he drove the tip of the sword into the ground and grit his teeth. Even while experiencing excruciating pain he could hear the howling cries from the remaining daemons as they were hit with the spell as well.

In a flash it was over. Though the pain lingered and there was naught but smoldering remains and scorched earth, Ramza found himself standing alone.

"Ramza!"

Each cry of his name brought about a wave of nausea that threatened to consume him. Had he not braced himself with Excalibur he would have fallen over. With the battle now over he hastily removed his ring, pocketing it before anyone could reach him.

"Ramza!" Louise's distinct voice pleaded hoarsely as she rushed to his side.

"Ramza!" the second lieutenant's firm hands took hold of his shoulders. "I need some healers!"

Darkness slowly consumed the spent squire even as more hands grabbed hold of him. "Pouch," he muttered into someone's ear. The word took more out of him than he could even fathom. "Potion."

He could feel someone rummaging into his pouch, pulling out a vial before putting it to his lips. A wave of cooling relief passed through him, closing his more serious wounds and numbing his pain. Though it did not heal everything it was enough to keep him from dying of his injuries. It would be enough for now.

* * *

A/N

The compulsion that familiars feel towards their 'masters' will be addressed in later chapters.

For those who noticed, I did mistake Miss Longueville as 'Miss Longville' and Tabitha for 'Tabatha'. I blame that on the site I was reading Familiar of Zero. Then again, most of the early chapters were prone to such mistakes and I didn't catch it until someone pointed it out to me. My bad.

Dreaming Fox


	5. Chapter 5

Few who knew Ramza Beoulve would have called him a passionate person. Honor and justice once motivated him, but he found that simply following those beliefs was not fulfilling. In the grand scheme of things he was just one man doing what he believed was right. If not for the loyalty of his troupe he knew that he would not have accomplished what he had.

Yet here he was, alone in this foreign world facing a familiar enemy.

"You're looking well," the second lieutenant greeted as he swooped down on his griffin. "I'd suggest that you ride your horse, but I think that the two of you don't get along very well."

If there was one thing that Ramza was passionate about, it was his dislike of all horses. "What makes you say that?" he jested.

The mood of the party was fairly upbeat despite the failure of their mission. Though the rogue wizard managed to escapes, the Griffin Knights and the Academy students who volunteered had not suffered any casualties.

Reinforced by another squadron and a captain, only Second Lieutenant Vonnegut's squadron remained with those returning to the academy.

"Since you aren't from around here, you probably don't realize that you won't be awarded with the title of Chevalier like the others will," Kurt stated as he set his griffin down and dismounted.

Ramza nodded silently.

"You really don't care about titles, do you?" the knight asked as he fell into step beside the squire.

"I am but a sell-sword," he replied. "Titles mean nothing to me."

"Then why come along?"

Ramza took a step forward, pondering the answer. Finally, "I needed to know who my enemy is."

It was Kurt's turn to pause in thought, "Then does that make us your allies?"

He wanted to say 'yes' but try as he might, Ramza couldn't. The brief conversation he'd had with the Lucavi known as Leviathan had left a distinct impression. Were there people in Griffin Knights who sympathized with the Albion Rebels? And why would he involve himself with another country's affairs?

"Second Lieutenant!" a griffin knight cried out, ending their conversation.

"What is it private?" Kurt demanded, unhappy that their conversation had ended so abruptly.

"There's a flight of young dragons on the prowl ahead," the private stated. "It looks like they've caught wind of us."

"How many?"

"Five," the private replied.

The sound of hooves pounding on packed dirt ended their conversation as both noted that the sell-sword had ridden off in the direction of the approaching dragons.

"Have the students circle up and set a perimeter with the knights," Kurt ordered.

Charging forward Ramza hoped that his gambit would work. Though this world was filled with strange beasts he at least knew how to deal with dragons. Despite his inability to actually control his mount, Ramza covered half of the distance before dismounting. Carefully he led the horse to a tree, tying it down so that it wouldn't run off on him. If the dragons were hunting for food then they wouldn't have been spotted, as they often hid in the sun light before swooping down on their prey.

More than likely the beasts had just been kicked out of their nest and were scrambling for somewhere to set up their own lair that was just on the edge of their parents' territory. The fact that they hadn't run across the dragons on the way from the Academy meant that they were still in the process of expanding and marking their territory.

His obvious approach had drawn the dragons' attention as the winged beasts were now flying directly at him. Touching down well outside of attack range with the largest in the center and foremost of the group, the young yellows let out a cry.

Holding his ground, Ramza hoped that this would work.

X

"Where the hell is Ramza?!" an irate Louise pouted as she scanned the group of volunteers. "He should be tending to me!"

"Perhaps he is with the knights," Guiche offered as he scanned the knights guarding them. It was a weak excuse at best, but the young noble knew of no other reason for the familiar to not be at his mistress' side.

Each of the student volunteers knew that Ramza had played a large role in the battle with the rogue mage despite his inability to cast magic. The fact that he defeated half of the daemons himself made him the talk of the students and knights. Unlike the other volunteers who delighted in telling exaggerated tales of their exploits, Ramza was in fact tight lipped about his role.

It bothered her that her familiar had out performed her and that he had played a more crucial role in the assault, yet the thing that was on her mind was the spell that she'd cast. _'Magic that inflicts damage with pure energy.' _ The words echoed through her head during the battle with the daemons, and each time that she thought them the strange purple light had been emitted from her wand leaving naught but destruction.

It was beyond anything that she had imagined. At first she'd been proud of the fact that she'd managed to cast a spell, but the thrill hadn't lasted long as she realized the danger that her familiar was in. The second time she'd cast the spell she'd done so to try and assist Ramza, yet she'd clearly misjudged the strength of the spell as she'd also managed to hit him with it. Though she was loathed to admit it, she was honestly afraid for him. The terrible damage that she had wrought forth had killed daemons, and yet Ramza had survived. She had been so relieved by that, but then she'd seen one of the daemons casting the same spell.

"Something's up," Guiche said, interrupting her thoughts once again.

"Dragons," Tabitha said, closing her book as she did so.

"Even a flight of young dragons shouldn't be too difficult for a squadron of knights, much less an elite squadron of Griffin Knights," Guiche surmised as he stroked his familiar's head.

Though confident in the abilities of their escort, the students none the less tensed as they prepared for another battle. All eyes turned to the south.

Tense minutes passed as the figures in the sky grew.

Like all teenagers the student volunteers couldn't help but speculate and talk regardless of the situation.

"They're descending!"

"Wait, only one is descending!"

"What's going on?"

"There's a rider on the dragon!"

"Raiders?!"

"There's only one rider!"

As one they watched as a lone dragon descended while the remaining five dragons departed.

"What's going on?"

"It's got to be an ambush."

"The rider's dismounting."

From her vantage point even the petit pinkette could make out the man's distinctive blue armor. "Ramza!"

X

There had once been a time when Ramza Beoulve would have indulged in idle gossip such as the academy volunteers were doing. He'd been only as old as Louise and her friends then a scant three years ago. Back then he too had been in an academy as well, surrounded by his own circle of friends – friends that fought by his side and at his orders without question.

Leviathan had been right. There was no way that he could defeat the Lucavi in their home realm, at least not alone.

Xob Noo, or Thunder in Romalian, was a start. Though the young dragon was no Worker 7, he could surpass Boco. In any realm dragons were a force to be reckoned with regardless of their age or maturity.

Even with Louise they were just three. That would not be enough.

"Not good enough!" he shouted at his sparing partner.

"But" the young mage panted as he fought for air and concentration "it's as big as I can make it!"

Ramza shook his head, "It matters not how big it is if a single blow is all it takes to shatter it." As if to prove his point the squire struck the bronze golem's knee, sundering the construct. "Try harder!"

In the two days since the volunteers had returned to the academy most had spent the time talking of their exploits. Though a few had spoken of Ramza's role in the surrey most of the volunteers had not seen the actual battle and thus were forced to rely on their own embellished roles in support of the Griffin Knights.

Having glimpsed what the young noble was capable of Ramza opted to focus on Guiche's strength – transfiguring alloys and constructing golems. The feat was something that the squire had never seen accomplished in Ivalice, though he had heard of it being done. Watching Guiche perform the feat he had initially marveled at it. The feeling failed to last though as the squire easily bested each construct with but a single blow.

"This is why I make six of them," grumbled Guiche as he created six constructs.

Shaking his head, Ramza clinched his fist before hitting them with a Shockwave from his Earth Slash technique, blasting apart each of the bronze golems. "Numbers do not matter," he countered.

"But… that's all I can manage… If I were a triangle mage I could make them stronger," lamented Guiche.

Though he still did not understand the concept of ranking that the wizards of this realm used he understood that it was possible for someone to exceed their current limit. It was after all one of the reasons that the young nobles had been sent to the academy.

"Ramza," a soft voice called out, interrupting the boys' practice.

"Siesta," the squire returned, offering her a polite bow.

"Miss Siesta," Guiche added with a bow of his own.

"The Headmaster would see you and Miss Valliere now," the maid stated. "I believe that she is already headed there right now."

"Of course," the polite young squire said. Each of the volunteers had been called upon by the Headmaster since they had returned.

"He also asked for you Lord Grammont," the pretty maid added as she turned to the noble. "It is fortunate that you are here as well."

The blond boys turned to share a glance. Thus far the Headmaster had only called the student volunteers in individually. It was understandable that Ramza and Louise would be called in together as he was her familiar, but the addition of Guiche was an unexpected twist.

*Go, leave the castle for food, but come back here in the morning Xob,* he ordered the dragon.

Though Thunder was capable of handling himself, Ramza knew that he was still a young and wild dragon at heart. Leaving him unattended in the castle would be too reckless, especially with the other familiars about. Sylphid and the other dragon-familiars were all different breeds of dragon and from different nests. Even domesticated dragons were prone to fighting each whenever they were around just to establish who was the Alpha and what their pecking order would be.

The fact that they and the other familiars had not fought with each other suggested that the runes that branded and bound them compelled them to disregard their natural instincts. But was it only reinforced when their masters were around or was it always active? And what was the runes on his hand doing to him?

Silently he fell into step behind Siesta, ignoring Guiche's attempts at hitting on the comely maid. There was much he wanted to say and ask, but there was only one man he could turn to right now.

"Headmaster," Siesta's gentle voice called out as the trio stood before the double doors to his office, "I've brought Misters Grammont and Beoulve as you instructed."

"Come in, come in."

The doors opened, allowing the boys to pass.

"No commoner has ever stepped beyond this threshold," Guiche whispered as they walked towards the grand desk and the figures standing before and behind it.

"Louise, Kirche, Tabitha," the young noble called out, slightly astonished that the other girls were present as well, "what brings you here?"

"I called for them," the bald wizard stated. "Just as I called for the both of you."

The youngsters stood before the desk and the Headmaster, each unsure what to say.

"I heard from the second Lieutenant that you played an integral role in the surrey," the old man began.

The squire simply nodded.

"Please, I would like to know what you saw."

Looking up, Ramza cleared his throat. "You wish to know what we saw or what we know?"

"Ramza!?" the pinkette hissed as she tried to elbow him in the side.

Undeterred he stood his ground, "This may not be my world, and I may not be schooled in magic, but I do know that that is a scrying pool."

Everyone turned to the pedestal just a few steps to the side of the desk.

"What of it?" Kirche asked. "Any reputable wizard of his station should have one of those."

"Ever since I first dueled Kirk I have felt as though there were always eyes on me," the squire explained. "At first I thought it the work of Kirk and his gang as they sought to find a possible weakness to exploit. But even during my second encounter with them and during the battle with the daemons I could feel someone watching me. Now I understand why."

"Silence," Louise demanded as she moved to silence him. "What are you doing?"

"You are right," Osmond stated. "I had not wished to be so intrusive, but with my responsibilities to the Academy I was forced to use this pool to indulge my curiosity."

Squire and wizard locked eyes.

"The rogue and the daemons must have interfered with your scrying," Ramza finally stated.

The bald wizard nodded ever so slightly.

"What do you know of 'Lucavi'?" the displaced warrior asked.

"'Lucavi'?"

The other students were startled by the soft-spoken Tabitha finally speaking up.

"They are the rulers of the daemons," the blunette stated as she peered curiously at Ramza. "But no one has seen a daemon in over a thousand years."

"Prior to the other day," amended Guiche.

"So the rogue wizard was a Lucavi?" Louise surmised. "But the Griffin Knights are pursuing him, so it should be alright."

Ramza and Guiche shared a knowledgeable glance. The elite units had been outclassed and overwhelmed by the Lucavi and his daemons. Only Ramza knew that Leviathan had not reached his true potential and that he was currently limited by his host.

The atmosphere in the office seemed to grow thicker as the students and the familiar stood a bit straighter and taller before the headmaster.

"Understand that nothing that you hear in here is to ever be spoken of," Osmond said, his voice commanding. "There are forces seeking to overthrow the Albion Crown."

The buxom beauty nodded, "But that is common knowledge, even here."

"The rogue wasn't alone," Ramza added. "He was with others who were transporting arms to Albion, but when they discovered they were being followed by the Griffin Knights the transport slowed down, allowing the Knights to catch up to them but buying time for the mage in their company time."

Five sets of eyes turned to him, each wanting answers. "The Second Lieutenant informed me of this while we rode to their camp." He felt no need to tell them of what his role had been in the first engagement between the rebels and the knights. "It appears as though the Second Lieutenant's fears were confirmed – a great power has escaped to Albion to aid in the rebellion."

"So it seems," Osmond agreed.

"But what of the spell that Miss Valliere cast? It is like nothing I have ever seen – it was even able to fell those daemons."

Four sets of eyes turned to the pinkette, eyeing her curiously.

"And yet you were able to survive being hit with it multiple times," Osmond added as he glanced at Ramza.

"It is not the first time I have been hit with that spell," the squire admitted. "In my world, there are only a few that I know of who are capable of casting that spell."

From the look on the old man's face it was clear that he was satisfied with what he had heard.

"Headmaster," Guiche finally said as he took a step forward, "I understand that Ramza is not eligible to receive the title of Chevalier, but is there nothing that you or the Knights can do?"

Again the students' eyes turned to the Headmaster. "Unfortunately there is not," the old wizard sighed.

"I am not of this land or realm," Ramza stated again. "What value is a title to a sell-sword such as I?"

"You are not a sell-sword!" Louise proclaimed, startling everyone. "Sir, isn't there anything you can do?"

"Unfortunately there is not," he said with a soft finality.

Even as the others took a step back Ramza took a step forward, "I am a sell-sword; there is a price for my service."

"Ramza!" Louise hissed again.

"It's quite alright. If you would, please see yourself out. I've been wanting to speak with Ramza for a while now."

They waited as the others departed, leaving them free to gather their thoughts.

"What is the price of your service?" Osmond finally asked once the doors were closed.

The squire set his hand on the desk so that the runes could be seen. "What do you know of these?"

"They are the markings of a familiar," the Headmaster stated.

"'Gandalfr', if I am not mistaken," the squire said.

Taken back, the old wizard glanced up at the young man before him. "What do you know of the runes?"

"I can read them, but I don't know their meaning."

"I thought you couldn't read."

"I cannot read Romalian," Ramza corrected. "That does not mean that I am unable to read other written languages."

"True, true."

The man was stalling as he reassessed the value of his secrets.

"The runes on the other familiars keeps them docile, am I correct?"

"To some degree."

"But mine…"

"Aren't the same," Osmond finished. "You are correct that the familiar runes can overwrite the natural impulses of the creatures so that they aren't as dangerous to those around them. The runes also allow for easier communication between master and familiar.

"Yours, are special." Striking grey eyes locked with bright blue ones. "It is said that the Gandalfr runes grant the familiar – you – the ability to use anything that is created with the intent of being a weapon with a high degree of proficiency."

'_Mastery of any weapon?'_ Ramza thought as he broke away from Osmond's gaze and glanced at the runes. _'What weapon don't I know how to use? Dictionaries, cloth?'_

"I doubt that it does much for you when you wield a sword," the Headmaster added as he glanced at Excalibur. "But other weapons such as firearms, staves, spears, or enchanted ones…"

A thoughtful look graced the old man's face as he finally stepped out from behind the desk. "Walk with me."

The young squire obliged, matching the Headmaster step for step in complete silence as they departed the office and made their way down the hallway and stairs. The feel of magic permeated the air like nowhere else he'd ever been though there were no noticeable markings on the walls or floor. Finally they stopped before two fortified double doors. Extracting a key from his robes the Headmaster pressed it against the wall beside the door.

'_Hiding the entrance with magic,'_ Ramza surmised as the stone wall parted, revealing rows and rows of magical artifacts and tomes.

Again the two walked on, ignoring everything save a rusty old sword.

"What brings you here?" a mysterious voice demanded, nearly startling the squire.

"It appears that you will finally have a partner," Osmond responded as he stepped to the side, allowing Ramza a better view of the sheathed sword.

"It speaks!" the astonished youth gasped. In all his years he had never heard of such a thing. Then again, if he had never thought that an iron golem could speak either before he had met Worker 8.

"Of course I can speak!" the sword protested. "The youth of this millennium are so ignorant of their history! Everyone should know of Sasha, Brimir's first and mightiest familiar!"

"Who is Brimir?" Ramza asked aloud.

"Who is Brimir!?" the sword exclaimed angrily! "Who is Brimir!? Why he is the first void mage ever in the history of the world! His name is known far and wide even outside of the four kingdoms. Though your accent is slight, anyone who speaks Romalian should know of Brimir!"

"He is not of our realm," Osmond interjected on the squire's behalf. "Though he knows our language, it is not his native tongue nor does he know of the rich history of our world."

"Oh, well, still…" the sword backpedaled, "the youth of this generation are still fairly ignorant of their history.

"But I sense that the reason why you brought him here is not to speak of the past nor of other realms, is it Headmaster?"

"You are correct," the old man sighed.

"The boy has the mark of Gandalfr," the sword stated. "I can feel it."

Instinctively Ramza glanced down at the runes that branded him. A slight light shone around the edges of the of his gauntlet.

"So you are to be my partner."

"Parnter?"

"The one who is to wield me," the sword explained. "Only someone with those runes may wield me, though it has been nearly six millennia…. But where are my manors? I am Derflinger."

Unsure how to respond, Ramza found himself stepping forward and reaching out with his left hand, clasping the hilt of the sword, "I am Ramza Beoulve." Drawing the blade he marveled at the rusty weapon, awed by the fact that it was still in one piece.

"It is nice to meet you Ramza," Derflinger said, sending a now familiar warmth through his hand, arm, and body.

"It is good to make your acquaintance," the squire returned. The warmth faded as he sheathed the sword.

A feeling of pride and gratitude ran through his body, almost as though the sword were sharing its feelings with him. "You will make a great partner."

X

A/N

That took longer than I expected. More later. I've got taxes to do now.

Dreamingfox


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes –

Brr… winter. That was close to a knockout punch this week.

* * *

Mismatched moons hung in the sky, an ever present reminder of the fact that the blond squire was in a foreign world. And though he missed his companions who were surely looking for him, Ramza Beoulve could not help but think that this world needed him just as much if not more. After all, who in this world knew of the dangers that the Lucavi posed? He had seen firsthand the death and destruction wrought by the Lucavi and those that they manipulated during the War of the Lions. Thousands had died in the fighting as both sides fought for control of the crown; thousands more had perished as a result of the famine and plagues that had gone unchecked while the fighting raged.

"Something troubles you," Derflinger stated.

Glancing down at the sheathed sword Ramza considered his situation. By his count there were six Lucavi remaining. Even with Thunder and Derflinger he was no match for even one of them. Though he had fought against and bested the Archaedaemons the ones that had fought the Griffin Knights were nothing but fodder meant to occupy the Knights so that they could not pursue the daemons' master.

The sword, though sentient, had spent much of the past three millennia if not more locked in the academy's vault. Even with the occasional visit by the past headmasters it had quickly become clear that Derflinger would offer him little insight on the history of this realm save for his time with Brimir and Sasha.

"I have told you, have I not, that I am of a different realm?" he answered with his own question.

"So," the sagely sword replied, "you long to return to your home?"

"Of course." It was true, but it was not what was on the squire's mind at the moment.

"But you have work here, partner," the sword stated. "So long as you have the brand you cannot leave this world."

"You words do not put me at ease."

"It is an unfortunate truth, partner."

Neither spoke for untold minutes, both unsure what to say.

"So," Ramza finally said, breaking the uneasy tension, "do you know why the students are so excited?"

"They are celebrating Brimir," Derflinger replied solemnly. "Today is the Day of the Void, an annual celebration of my master's master created some five millennia ago after the four kingdoms were officially founded."

"But I thought your master was around six millennia ago."

"He was, but it took centuries for his children to carve out the countries of Albion, Tristan, Germania, and Gallia," the sword explained. "As I understand it the Holy Empire of Romalia is the only nation founded by one of Brimir's followers."

It sounded similar to how Ivalice was founded by the followers of Saint Ajora after his execution. One man, with exceptional power, could change the world even after his death. Saint Ajora's followers had been misled by the Lucavi, but what of Brimir's?

"How did Brimir die?" he asked finally.

"In battle," the sword answered far too quickly.

Could a sword lie? And why would it?

"Ramza?" a gentle voice called out before he could inquire further.

"Siesta," he returned automatically.

"I brought you some food," the maid stated.

"Thank you." The bountiful plate was far more than what he could eat alone. "Please, have some."

"I… I couldn't," she replied bashfully. "I still have to serve the students."

"Is today not a holiday?" he inquired though he knew the truth. Holidays were only celebrated by nobles. Commoners like Siesta were still required to work, often even harder so that the nobles could enjoy their holiday.

"I guess I could take some time to eat a bit of breakfast," the polite maid finally said as she took a seat beside the squire.

It was a pleasant meal, easily the best he'd enjoyed since he'd come to this world.

"Wine?" Siesta asked as she extracted a glass from the basket.

"No thank you," he replied automatically. "Is there any milk?"

"Of course," she replied. "It's curious – I've never seen you drink any alcohol."

"It dulls the senses."

The look on her face as he gave his curt answer said it all. Stiffening as she poured the milk she purposely sat further from him.

"I… I am sorry," he said as he took the glass that she'd set down between them. "I…." he really was unsure of the words needed in such a situation. "I do not mean to be so short with you."

A slight smile graced the maid's lips. "Thank you. I understand – you are a man of action, not a man to speak unnecessarily."

Though her words wrung true, it was not that he preferred to act over thinking, it was that he'd found few who he could honestly converse with. Delita and Alma had been the easiest to talk to, though both had keen minds and sharp tongues to match. The others of his troupe had become accustomed to his short orders and responses, learning to read his physical cues as well as trusting in his decisions as they traveled throughout Ivalice.

Perhaps that was why he got along so well with the beasts in their troupe. Like them, he often acted on instinct, needing few words to understand them or their needs.

"More milk?"

He'd barely noticed how much of the cool liquid he'd consumed in a single gulp. "Of course, thank you."

Her hand felt warm against his as she brushed hers against his while taking the glass to refill. It was not the awkwardness of an inexperienced server but the purposeful move of a flirtatious one. In the past he had often ignored such an advance, even from the most tantalizing of serving wenches. Perhaps it was the fact that he was not just passing through and thus unlikely to encounter the wench until he once again passed through the village or tavern, but he could not help but wish that her hand had lingered a bit longer.

"I should go," she whispered as she set the glass down. "I must prepare for the students' lunch."

"You have yet to touch any of the food save for serving me," he stated.

"I must go," she sighed.

"Not before you have something to eat," he insisted. Taking up the glass he offered it to her, "At the least you should have a nice, refreshing drink."

"Thank you."

Again her hands move to take the glass from his. This time she placed her hand over his, before taking the drink from him. He could not help but watch as she put the glass to her lips and took a sip of the cool white liquid.

"Thank you," she said again as she put the glass down. "But I should go now."

The pastries just weren't as light and tasty without Siesta around. Still, the moment had proven that perhaps there was more in this realm for him than just the business with the Lucavi.

"She's quite the looker," Derflinger stated.

How the sentient sword knew what the maid looked like simply baffled the squire's mind.

"She's quite the catch partner," the sword added snidely. "But it seems that you're the one in the crosshairs."

* * *

The scene on the ramparts did little to sooth the pinkette's temperament as she gazed down at her familiar. How was it that a common maid could get so close to her familiar when she had yet to get him to say more than ten words to her since he had become her familiar?

Marching out of her room, down the tower, and up the ramparts, she contemplated her options. "Ramza," she called out, disrupting the remains of his breakfast, "is that for me?"

"Do you not get your breakfast in the commons?" he replied as he wiped his face.

"You are my familiar," she replied hotly. "It is your duty to attend to my needs."

"I am your familiar," he ceded. "But I am not your servant. I am to attend to your needs on the battlefield, not your everyday needs."

His words stung like lemon juice on an open wound. "How dare you!? You are nothing but a commoner! How dare you speak to me – your master and a noble – like that?!"

"I may be a commoner here, but what give you the right to speak to me like that?" he countered. "Is your blood not red like mine?"

Even sitting he held his ground better than the young noble did. Despite his status he had clearly accomplished much more than she had in the few weeks that she'd known him. Everyone knew that she was capable of destructive magic, usually when trying to cast other spells, but he had cut down Archaedaemons with ease. Though he minimized his own role in things, the handful of student volunteers knew that it was Ramza who had done the most fighting during the recent encounter. Regardless of their titles and rank, it was he who the Griffin Knights had depended on.

"I am Louise Francoise le Blanc de Valliere!" she hissed.

"If you wish to be treated with respect then you should treat others with respect," Ramza stated as he finally stood up. "Just because you have the title of 'noble' what have you done to deserve my respect? As you well know titles mean nothing to me."

Louise could do little but wilt under his intent gaze.

"That's enough partner," Derflinger said, interrupting them. "The two of you should be fighting together, not against each other. While it is good that you establish your roles in this relationship, you should be working together against your common enemy."

Ramza stood unflinching, his eyes still on the pinkette. Finally he looked away. "She is not ready to face our enemy."

"I… I took down an Archaedaemon with my spell," Louise stammered. "I may not have killed as many as you but I"

"How many times can you cast Ultima?" he interjected. "Twice, thrice? And how many of our allies will you kill with it? You hit me with Ultima, and I don't understand why I managed to survive it, but if it had been a Griffin Knight instead of me? Can you cast your spell without endangering your allies?"

Again Louise backed down, unsure of herself.

"As her familiar it falls on you to help her," Derflinger again interrupted. "Her enemies are your enemies, and yours are now hers so long as you remain here."

A slight smile formed on Louise's lips as the sword took her side.

"And you, as the 'master' must work to earn his loyalty," the sword chided. "Do not let your title and power get to your head. Without Ramza at your side protecting you, you will accomplish nothing. If he does not stand with you then you have already failed."

Properly admonished, both familiar and master stood in silence, neither sure what to say.

"Now that we've settle that, why do we not enjoy this holiday?" Derflinger suggested. "I hear that you have a ball and knighting to prepare for. And since Ramza is to be your familiar he will need proper attire as well."

* * *

The sound of enchanting music escaped from the academy's main hall, a sure sign that the holiday ball was underway. With much of the guards' focus on the ball, none remained to guard the academy's vault. Then again, with the numerous square level enchantments on it who would dare break into the vault.

"The walls are enchanted beyond anything I can break," the green haired woman admitted. "Even a square mage would not be able to break in easily or quickly. It appears that we will have to forgo our attempts to acquire the Staff of Destruction."

Though the shadows in the corridor provided little light, even the woman knew that she would not see her reflection in the mirror before her.

"So be it," a voice escaped the mirror. "It is but one weapon. Even if there is a Gandalfr in Tristan I doubt anyone will think to allow him to use it."

"Shall I make arrangements to return?" the woman asked, a hint of hope in her voice at her request.

"No," the speaker on the other side of the mirror said firmly. "If a Gandalfr has appeared then it is most fortunate that you are there. Keep an eye on him and his master."

"Yes," she replied, resigned to her assignment.

"Is it true? Did he fell an Archaedaemon with naught but his sword?" a second voice emerged from the mirror.

"Yes master," the spy replied. "Though the student volunteers were reluctant to admit it, the Griffin Knight's second lieutenant confirmed it."

A hushed conversation was evident though the spy failed to make out what her mysterious masters were saying on their end of the mirror.

"Keep an eye on the Gandalfr," the first speaker ordered.

"And his master as well," the second speaker added. "After all, he is useless to us if he does not have a master that he is loyal to."

"I shall do so," the woman replied.

"Is it true," the second speaker dared to say, "that the Gandalfr tamed a dragon?"

"Silence," the first speaker ordered the second.

"But he could also be the Vindalfr," the second protested. "Even without"

"That's enough!" the first shouted the second down. "This is not the time for that."

Even masked in the shadows it was clear to her that the first speaker had moved directly in front of the mirror, blocking out the second speaker. "Report back if anything happens to the Void Mage and her familiar."

Before she could even respond the silver mirror went black, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Excitement hovered over the hall as the assembled students, faculty, and staff gathered to celebrate the Day of the Void. The annual holiday had already been marked with a speech and fire spells that illuminated the night sky, now all that was left was the evening ball. Yet for all the festivities Louise Valliere could do naught but reflect on the complicated relationship she had with her familiar.

The fact that he was human, even if he was just a commoner, made things all the more difficult for her as he was not only older than her, but he was also very opinionated. It did not help that unlike other commoners he did not wilt when faced with a noble, even a noble of her standing. If not for Derflinger they might still be at odds.

Even their jaunt into town had done little as neither familiar nor master spoke other than to say that the apparel chosen did or did not suit the wearer. Despite her best efforts, Ramza appeared to be little more than a well-dressed guardsman as he ultimately opted to wear his own clothes, though he had at least allowed Siesta to wash a suitable outfit. It did not help that he opted to wear his mismatched swords, even if he managed to keep them out of the way. Still, his light blue blouse and light blue-gray leggings matched even if they did not make him stand out amongst the brighter and bolder colors worn by the students.

"Have you seen Ramza?" The grating voice of her rival seemed to prove the point. Even the keen eyes of the predatory redhead failed to spot the elusive blond.

"I have not," Louise replied honestly.

"I'm saving my first dance for him," Kirche stated in her usual breathlessness. Several male students sighed or otherwise made their displeasure known at the fact that they were being upstaged by the commoner.

"Do you have any firsts left to give?" the strawberry blond taunted. Though her rival had transferred in at the start of the current year it was rumored that she had already slept with a third of the boys in their year.

"A lady never tells," the buxom girl chided playfully, "and a true lady never asks."

Leaning closer to the shorter girl Kirche smiled, "Though it may not be the first, the boys are still lining up for what I have to offer. Where is your line?"

Louise could feel herself blushing, a mixture of anger, frustration, and jealousy tinting her world a slight shade of red.

"May I have this dance?" Ramza's distinct accent made the situation all the worse, prompting Louise to turn away. Yet the feel of a firm, steady hand on hers kept her from fleeing.

It took a moment for her to realize that he had not asked Kirche to dance, but had instead asked her.

"Please," he added quietly.

"Of course," she replied gently as she turned to face him.

The older boy proved to be as graceful on the dance floor as he was on the battlefield. It was an unexpected surprise for Louise.

"Ramza," she found herself saying as he lead her about the floor, "you said that I resembled your sister."

A slight misstep greeted her statement as Ramza appeared to lose his cool. "I did make such a remark," he stated. "My younger sister, Alma, she could be your double. Save for your slightly pinker hair the two of you could be twins. I believe the both of you have seen the same number of summers if not close to the same."

"Is that all we have in common?" she dared to ask.

For a second he glanced away from her as he contemplated his answer. "The both of you are stubborn."

His answer brought a smile to her face. "Any other siblings?"

Though he usually appeared aloft or carefree, a dark look crossed Ramza's face. "I had two older brothers."

She knew she should have asked yet her curiosity got the better of her, "What happened to them?"

Ramza tensed just as the song ended. "I killed them."

It was Louise's turn to freeze as his regret filled words hit her. Yet she found her mouth opening again.

"Ramza darling!" Kirche interrupted both physically and vocally. "Time to dance with me."

* * *

The cool night air was a refreshing change of pace to the seemingly stifling air of the ball. The sound of merriment though could not be contained by the reinforced stone walls as the young assistant walked along the second floor balcony. With the party less than an hour in the vast majority of students were still milling around the dance floor, each vying for a chance to dance with the boy or girl that currently caught their fancy.

A lone exception stood outside much to the green-haired woman's surprise.

"You are an odd one, partner," a voice proclaimed, startling the young assistant.

"What makes you say that Derflinger?" the squire replied.

Scanning the area the woman tried to find the source of the hidden speaker as she hid in the shadows. "Fratricide?"

Ramza shrugged though otherwise did little to deny the charge.

"Were you at least defending yourself?" the mysterious speaker asked.

"I was protecting my comrades and myself," Ramza stated. Though he stood firm, it was clear that the young warrior felt some guilt. "It is not something that I would care to speak of lightly, especially when we are not alone."

The greenette purposefully stepped out of the shadows, "I apologize. I had not meant to overhear anything, it's just that I was about to call out to you when I heard an unfamiliar voice."

Keen blue eyes took her measure, a sign that he had obviously dealt with others of dubious intentions. A slight nod told her that he believed her.

"I see that it was not the music that drove you out of the ball."

Turning to the side he gazed at the mismatched moons. "There is a time and place to speak of various matters – the ball was not the place to speak of my family."

Unsure what to say as he closed the door on the previous subject, the young assistant eyed the squire. His foreign attire was different, and without the flashy and bolder colors worn by the students the light blues and matching grays made him stand out against the darkness. The fact that he was wearing full ceremonial dress armor had gone unnoticed until now.

"For a sell-sword your armor is quiet exquisite," she stated as she moved close enough to touch him, stopping short when she noticed the crests on his scabbard. "I've never seen such fine armor – did Louise procure this for you?"

"It is mine," he stated gruffly, turning so that the mismatched emblems were no longer visible to her. The second scabbard was just as simple save for the missing emblems.

"And the family emblem? Most nobles wear theirs on their armor, but a few mark their swords as well." He stiffened, guarding himself as he took her measure again. "I was once a noble, so I know the telltale signs of one, even one in disguise such as yourself.

"Knights stand at the ready, but you hold yourself as though you have an unspoken purpose that guides you. The words you speak are guarded to all, even a sentient sword or your mistress."

Bright blue eyes darkened as he turned his gaze onto her.

"It is common for the noble families of the four nations to hide the fact that they had children who lacked any magical ability," she added. "The Valliere's name was thought to be the only reason why Louise was admitted here. Everyone who knew of her believed that she had no talent.

"You know what they call her, don't you?"

"Louise the Zero," he replied. "Because of her chances of successfully casting a spell is Zero."

The assistant nodded; a slight smile on her lips as she noted the ever so slight softening of his eyes. "So, what is your story? Is it that different from Louise's?"

"Is there any reason for Louise to kill her sisters?"

"You should ask her that," Miss Longueville suggested. "After all, you are her familiar. But she is a conversation for another night. You are the one that I want to know more about.

"I'm right, aren't I – you are from a noble family, are you not?"

He cast a quick glance about the balcony, making sure that no one else was within earshot. "It matters not – I am who I was back there. If it is my duty to protect Louise then I shall do it."

* * *

A/N

I think I'll leave things here for now.

I had a great time at Anime Milwaukee and enjoyed Distant Worlds – Music from Final Fantasy. AMKE has grown, and I'm excited to see how much it'll grow next year. It's no Gen Con, but if it were then it'd probably have to leave Milwaukee just like Gen Con did.

Now I'm off to do taxes. Don't expect much from me until April.

Dreamingfox


End file.
